ISLAMABAD: The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began in Pakistan on Sunday, after the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee spotted the new moon on Saturday evening.
Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, head of Pakistan's Moon Sighting Committee, searches the sky with a telescope for the new moon that signals the start of Ramadan, in Peshawar, Pakistan on April 2, 2022. (AP)
The beginning of the ninth and holiest month in the Muslim calendar is determined by the sighting of the new moon in Pakistan, with the cleric-led Ruet-e-Hilal committee announcing when fasting should start.
The committee announced its decision after the new moon was sighted in the cities Lahore, Narowal, Islamabad, Sialkot, Kasur, Pakpattan, Kharian, Muzaffargarh and other areas.
"We have decided via consensus that the first of Ramadan will fall on Sunday, April 3, 2022," Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad said during a press conference.
This year, whole Pakistan will enter the fasting month on the same day. In the past, northwestern areas of the country would start observing Ramadan along with Saudi Arabia, where the new moon is usually sighted a day before it is seen in Pakistan.
"I am happy to announce that, with the help of Allah, the whole country will be marking the first of Ramadan on the same day," Azad said.
People shop for the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 2, 2022. (AP)
The beginning of the holy month this year is going to be different, as it comes amid turmoil in the country, with Prime Minister Imran Khan facing a political showdown on Sunday, when parliament is set to vote on a no-confidence motion against him.
The political crisis comes as the nation of 220 million people, the world’s second-largest Muslim country, struggles with double-digit inflation and dwindling foreign reserves. As dissatisfaction with Khan’s government grew over the past few months, particularly over economic challenges, his opponents announced their intention to move a no-confidence motion in parliament, which was tabled this Monday.
Two coalition partners of Khan have abandoned him since, technically giving the opposition the votes needed to oust him from office.
Khan's ouster would likely mean another round of instability in the nuclear-armed South Asian country, where no prime minister has completed a full five-year term in its history.
