ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated on Tuesday in the country including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan with great religious fervour and festivity.
President Mamnoon Hussain Tuesday offered Eid prayers at the President House and prayed for the sovereignty, peace and prosperity of Pakistan.
Earlier, the Shawwal moon has been sighted in different parts of the country and Eidul Fitr was also celebrated on Tuesday.
A formal announcement in this regard was made by the Chairman Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Mufti Munibur Rehman in a press conference at the Met Complex, Karachi, after convening a meeting of the body for sighting the moon and gathering evidence.
The body gathered evidence about moon sighting from all the four provinces of the country and meeting of zonal moon-sighting committees were held simultaneously at their respective headquarters. This Ramazan, the people observed 29 fasts.
Meanwhile, Eid prayers were offered in various tribal areas after local Ulema decided to mark the Eid day with Saudi Arabia.
On the other hand, the Shawwal moon was also sighted in India and Bangladesh, while Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Egypt celebrated Eidul Fitr on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Eid day would dawn with special Eid sermons where Ulema stressed for the unity of the Muslim Ummah and prayers will be held for the prosperity and well-being of the country.
The largest Eid congregation in the federal capital would be held at the Faisal Mosque.
In Rawalpindi, the main Eid congregation held at Liaqat Bagh, while in Lahore, the largest Eid congregation was held at Badshahi Mosque. Eid congregations also be held at Data Darbar, Masjid Shuhda, Masjid Wazir Khan and Bagh-e-Jinnah.
Special prayers offered for the independence of Palestine and Kashmir and sustainable peace in the region. Ulema and khateebs from different schools of thought would deliver special sermons and lectures to highlight the significance of the day.
Mostly workers living in the federal capital have gone to their villages to celebrate Eid with their families, but there was lot of hustle and bustle in the federal capital.
The administration has beefed up security for Eid. A contingency plan has been issued to ensure and maintain law and order, safety and security of the general public. Police personnel would perform their duties outside the mosques and public places.
The Islamabad Police, along with contingents of Rangers and FC, ensured foolproof security arrangements on the occasion, and police commandos deployed for the safety of the people.
The IGP directed all superintendents of police and sub-divisional police officers to improve the security plan and ensure checking of every person through metal detectors at masjids and Imambargahs in their respective jurisdictions.