Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad announced on Thursday that the Shawwal moon was not sighted in Pakistan, saying the country will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday, March 21.According to details, the meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee to sight the Shawwal moon commenced on Thursday. The session were being presided over by Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad. Representatives of the Pakistan Meteorological Department and Suparco were also in attendance. Religious scholars from various schools of thought were present at the meeting. Officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology were also attending the session. Meanwhile, the meeting of the Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committees to sight the Eid-ul-Fitr moon were also sighted. Members including Maulana Mukhtar Ahmed, Allama Hussain Akbar and Mufti Muhammad Imran attended the session. Officials from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), including Dr Shafiq Pasruri, were also present at the meeting. Experts stated that the Shawwal moon was born at 6:23am Pakistan time. They said that at sunset this evening, the age of the moon would be less than 13 hours across all parts of the country. The difference between sunset and moonset was expected to be 26 minutes in Karachi and 30 minutes in Peshawar. According to experts, there was a stronger likelihood of Eid-ul-Fitr falling on Saturday. They were of the view that for the moon to be sighted, its age should be at least 19 hours, with a minimum gap of 40 minutes between sunset and moonset. Experts added that 1 Shawwal 1447 AH is likely to fall on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Meanwhile, the sky in Lahore remains cloudy. On the other side, the PMD has stated that the possibility of sighting the Eid moon today was unlikely due to prevailing weather conditions. Cloudy skies were expected to persist in most parts of Pakistan during the evening, significantly lowering the chances of visibility. The Met Department director reiterated that cloud cover across the country makes moon sighting very difficult today. LAHORE A meeting of the zonal Ruet-i-Hilal Committee was under way in Lahore on Thursday. Sources said the committee had so far received no testimony of the moon being sighted. The deadline for moon sighting in Lahore was 6:44pm. Across Punjab, the cut-off time for sighting the moon was 6:57pm. CHAMAN No testimony of the Eid moon sighting was received from any area of Chaman, the local Ruet-i-Hilal Committee said. Officials added that dark clouds had covered the sky, hampering visibility.