ISLAMABAD: Soon after the political change in Pakistan in the context of the February 8 General Election, Pakistanis, along with Muslim Communities across the globe, would make preparations for the forthcoming holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 11 this year.
Muslims around the world observe the month to purify their souls with fasting, prayers, and helping the poor and needy people.
During the holy month, Muslims from east to west adhere to continued fasting from dawn till sunset, nurturing a sense of responsibility, commitment, and understanding of others. They also share their meals with needy people to develop a sense of collective responsibility.
This year, Ramadan is expected to begin on March 11, where the fasting hours are possibly comprised of between 12 to 17 hours, depending on different time zones across the world. In Pakistan, the fasting time would p[possibly comprise between 13 to 14 hours.
Locations Having Lengthy Fasting Hours
There are different locations in the world that would have lengthy fasting hours as compared to other locations. It included cities like Nuuk (Greenland), Reykjavik (Iceland), and Helsinki (Finland) having about 18 hours.
Meanwhile, locations like Christchurch (New Zealand), Puerto Montt (Chile), Jakarta (Indonesia), and a number of Asian cities would have fasting hours between 12 and 14 hours.
Eid-ul-Fitr and Public Holidays
Meanwhile, Eid al-Fitr and the follow-up holidays are expected to fall between 10 and April 15, when the Muslim community enjoyed the days after observing a tough one-month period.
However, there is one unfortunate practice mostly observed with the start of Ramadan and remained till Eid. It is the practice of hoarding, inflation, and price hikes, and in most Muslim countries, despite some checks from the government, different food mafia are exploiting and fleecing the poor masses due to the high prices of basic items.
Although Ramadan itself isn’t designated a public holiday, holiday arrangements are anticipated in Muslim-majority countries, with specifics to be disclosed closer to the date.
