Eid-ul-Fitr Likely on March 21 in Pakistan, Says Ruet-e-Hilal Research Council
Lahore: The Ruet-e-Hilal Research Council has released its astronomical forecast for Eid-ul-Fitr 2026, predicting that Pakistan is likely to celebrate the festival on Saturday, March 21, following the completion of 30 days of Ramadan.
According to the council’s Secretary General, Khalid Ijaz Mufti, the Shawwal moon is not expected to be visible on the evening of Thursday, March 19, 2026. He explained that the new moon will be born at 6:23am on March 19, but by sunset its age will be less than 13 hours, whereas at least 19 hours are generally required for visibility to the naked eye.
For moon sighting, there should also be a minimum gap of 40 minutes between sunset and moonset. However, on that day, the duration is expected to be only 26 minutes in Karachi and 30 minutes in Peshawar.
The council stated that even if the sky is completely clear, the moon’s age and its limited time above the horizon would make it scientifically impossible to sight it with the naked eye or even with powerful binoculars or telescopes.
Based on these astronomical parameters, 1st Shawwal 1447 AH is expected to begin on March 21, 2026, meaning Eid-ul-Fitr will most likely be observed across Pakistan on Saturday.
