The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet in Karachi today (Sunday) to sight the moon for Zul Hijjah 1447, according to the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

The committee’s session will take place at the Pakistan Meteorological Department in Karachi.

The session will be chaired by committee’s Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad.

Zonal committees will meet simultaneously at provincial headquarters in Lahore, Quetta, and Peshawar.

If the crescent is sighted on Sunday, Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 27.

If the moon is not sighted, the festival will be observed on Thursday, May 28.

According to the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the new moon of Zul Hijjah 1447 is expected to be born on May 17 at 1.15pm, giving the crescent an age of approximately eight hours and 30 minutes by sunset.

SUPARCO said that coastal areas of Pakistan could see a gap of around 60 minutes between sunset and moonset on the day, conditions that may support naked-eye visibility if skies remain clear.

Based on these projections, SUPARCO estimates the first of Zul Hijjah will fall on Monday, May 18, putting Eid-ul-Azha on May 27.

The final determination, however, rests with the official moon-sighting committee.