ISLAMABAD: Eid moon has been sighted by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (RHC) in a meeting that took place today in the capital to sight the Shawwal moon.
The meeting took place in Islamabad under the chair of RHC Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, as per an earlier statement of the committee.
The meetings of zonal committees also took place in their respective areas, while the central committee gathered witnesses from across the country.
Azad had earlier stated his resolve to ensure that Eid is celebrated on the same day throughout Pakistan.
Context
Earlier, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said that Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Friday, May 14 according to the calendar and the Ruet App.
The minister, however, in a tweet also clarified that the final decision in this regard will be announced by the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.
According to the calendar and the moon sighting app, the moon will appear on May 13 and Eid will be on May 14, the information minister added.
However, some committee members had expressed concerns over what they called the premature statements by Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry regarding the expected date of Eid.
Several members have registered concerns to Ruet-i-Hilal Committee (RHC) chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad that such statements by the minister would only encourage clerics such as Mufti Popalzai of Peshawar’s Qasim Khan mosque to continue to undermine the authority of the committee this year too.
“We are engaged with clerics of all schools of thought and various groups, involving them in the process,” the Ruet-i-Hilal committee chairman said, recalling that the Qasim Khan mosque management had observed Ramazan with the rest of the nation.
“I am sure that they will respect the decision of the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee over Shawwal moon too,” he added.
