The State Bank of Pakistan has announced a public holiday for all public and private banks across the country on the first day of Ramzan.
According to an official notification issued by the central bank banking services will remain suspended on 1st Ramazan 1447 Hijri due to the annual Zakat deduction process. As a result there will be no public dealings at banks nationwide on that day.
The notification further said that all banks development finance institutions and microfinance banks will also remain closed for customer transactions on the specified date.
A spokesperson for the State Bank clarified that while all employees of banks development finance institutions and microfinance banks will report to offices as per routine staff involved in public dealings will observe a holiday.
It is worth noting that the central meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee for sighting the Ramadan crescent will be held today in Peshawar while zonal committee meetings will take place in other parts of the country. The zonal committees will forward moon sighting testimonies along with evidence to the central committee after which the committee’s chairman will make the official announcement regarding the sighting of the moon following consultations.
According to astronomical parameters there is a strong possibility of sighting the Ramzan moon on the evening of February 18. The new moon will be born today at 5:01 pm while on the evening of 29th Sha’ban the age of the moon will be more than 25 hours and 48 minutes.
Experts say there will be a gap of approximately 59 minutes between sunset and moonset in coastal areas making the crescent easily visible to the naked eye. Weather conditions across most parts of the country are expected to remain clear or partly cloudy further improving the chances of moon sighting.
Official process of moon sighting
Moon sightings are used to mark the start of the months in the Islamic lunar calendar. The sighting of the crescent moon in the month of Ramzan marks the start of the month.
The council affirmed official moon sighting efforts start from Maghrib prayer on Tuesday, February 17, 6:21pm. Field observation teams, accredited observatories and public testimonies to be considered before final announcement of the moon sighting.
Also read: Where will Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meeting be held this year?
