PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced that the weekly ban on meat sales will end during Ramadan 2025.
As per a statement from the Food Department, the usual practice of stopping meat sales on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will not apply during Ramadan.
On normal days, people cannot buy beef, buffalo, goat, or sheep meat on these two days. For a long time, the province has banned the commercial sale and slaughter of animals on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to protect animal populations and maintain production balance.
However, chicken meat remains available on those days. Now, the provincial government has decided to lift the meat sale ban during Ramadan.
Meanwhile, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) has shared a helpful forecast about when the Ramadan moon might be visible in Pakistan.
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SUPARCO says the new moon for Ramadan 1446 Hijri will appear on February 28, 2025, at 5:45 AM Pakistan Standard Time. By sunset that day, the moon will be 12 hours old and 5 degrees above the skyline, which might make it hard to notice.
They also noted that on February 28, the moon and sun will be 7 degrees apart, suggesting it won’t be easy to spot with the naked eye. Because of this, the Ramadan moon in Pakistan is likely to be seen on the evening of March 1, with the first day of fasting expected on March 2, 2025.
In contrast, places like Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries might catch sight of the crescent on February 28. If they do, Ramadan there could start on March 1, and the Shawwal moon might appear on March 30, leading to Eid-ul-Fitr on March 31.
In Pakistan, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will gather on February 28 in Peshawar to make the official call on the moon sighting. The meeting, led by Maulana Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad, will take place at the Auqaf Department building, with local committees meeting in their own areas too.