Thursday | Pakistan

The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee announced on Wednesday that the Ramazan moon was sighted, and the holy month would begin in Pakistan on Thursday (February 19). The announcement was made by committee chairman, Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, as it met in Peshawar for the moon sighting. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Azad said that the skies were clear in some areas and cloudy in others. He said that testimonies were received from several parts of the country, including Quetta, Islamabad, Waziristan, Dir, Karachi, Buner, Mardan and Tando Allahyar. “Therefore, it was decided with consensus that the first day of Ramazan would be on Thursday,” he said. Separately, according to the Daily Star, the crescent moon was sighted in Bangladesh, while The Hindu reported that it was also spotted in India. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan observed their first day of fasting on Wednesday after the crescent moon was sighted on Tuesday night. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended “hea...

The Ramazan moon for 1447 Hijri has been sighted in various parts of Pakistan, and the first fast will be observed nationwide on Thursday, announced Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, Chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday that Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev would arrive in Pakistan on Thursday on a two-day official visit. In a statement, the FO said that at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the president would lead a high-level delegation, comprising cabinet ministers and business leaders for the state visit on Feb 5-6. FO added that the visiting dignitary will meet President Asif Ali Zardari, hold delegation-level talks with PM Shehbaz, and address the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum. “Discussions will focus on reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations and identifying new avenues to further deepen cooperation in diverse sectors including trade, energy, defence, education, people-to-people exchange and regional connectivity,” it stated. The FO statement said that this was the Uzbek president’s second visit to Pakistan, “which reflects the upward trajectory in Pakistan-Uzbekistan bilateral relations and the brotherly ties between the two brotherly coun...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast mainly cold and dry weather across most parts of the country on Thursday, with very cold conditions expected in hilly regions during the night and early morning hours.

ISLAMABAD: Internet users in Pakistan, barring Nayatel customers, are unlikely to experience slow speeds on Thursday, according to a clarification by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and correspondence by the internet service provider (ISP). Nayatel has informed its customers via email that “an unavoidable maintenance activity” is planned on one of Pakistan’s submarine cables on January 15 (Thursday) at around 2pm, saying that it could last up to eight hours. “This may cause internet slowness across Pakistan,” the service provider said. Meanwhile, reports circulating on social media, without specifying any particular ISP, said there was a possibility of internet disruption in the country on Thursday. However, the PTA clarified in a statement that “information regarding any disruption of internet services on January 15 is incorrect and without factual basis”. “Internet services across Pakistan remain stable and fully operational. Routine submarine cable maintenance is ongoing and will not affect ...

The nation will observe the 149th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, on Thursday with national zeal and fervour.

KARACHI: Sindh government has announced closure of all public and private schools and colleges in Karachi on Thursday due to heavy rain forecast, ARY News reported. Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah told ARY News the decision was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure students’ safety. All schools, colleges and universities institutions had also remained […]

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast that severe heatwave conditions are likely to persist across most parts of the country until Thursday, June 12.