PESHAWAR: The central Moon sighting committee is currently holding its meeting in Peshawar to determine the sighting of the Ramadan moon. The session is being chaired by Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, Chairman of the Central Moon Sighting Committee, with members of both the central and zonal committees in Peshawar participating.
Representatives from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, including Director General Hafiz Abdul Qudos, SPARCO representative Shokatullah, Meteorological Department representative Dr. Hassan Ali Baig, and Zainul Abideen from the Ministry of Science and Technology are also present at the meeting.
Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, Chairman of the Central Moon Sighting Committee, appealed to the public to observe the moon and stated that, God willing, Ramadan will begin simultaneously across the country this year.
In addition to Peshawar, zonal committees are holding their meetings in Islamabad and other provincial capitals. According to Mufti Atiqullah, a member of the Central Moon Sighting Committee, the committee has received five moon sightings from Upper Dir, and six sightings from Mymand District have been received by the Peshawar zonal committee.Mufti Atiqullah further stated that the committee has received a total of 40 moon sightings so far.
According to Spokesperson SPARCO, the new moon was born on February 17, 2026, at 5:01 PM. At sunset today, the moon will be approximately 25 hours and 48 minutes old, and there are prospects of sighting the moon with the naked eye today. The final decision on moon sighting will be made by the Central Moon Sighting Committee.
The Meteorological Department reports that the moon will be visible from 6:52 PM, with the moonrise occurring at 5:54 PM. Due to clouds in Lahore and surrounding areas, the chances of sighting the moon there are low. However, in Peshawar, clear weather conditions increase the likelihood of moon sighting.
Meanwhile, in Bangladesh and India, the Ramadan moon has already been sighted, and the first fast will be observed there tomorrow, February 19.
