Moon-sighting issue: Ruet-e-Hilal Committee unconstitutional: Popalzai

Accuses central committee of not accepting testimonies from K-P

PESHAWAR: The chairman of the moon-sighting committee of Peshawar’s historic Masjid Qasim Ali Khan has termed the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee “unconstitutional”, saying the central body has no right to make announcements on commemoration of religious days.

Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai was speaking at a meeting convened by Federal Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf on Tuesday at the Auqaf Hall, Peshawar to evolve consensus on observing Ramazan and Eid on the same day across Pakistan.



The meeting was attended by local clerics, including representatives of religious parties and sects, along with members of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.

Citing a report of a Senate sub-committee, Popalzai told reporters the central committee in its present form was unconstitutional and had no legal right to suggest anything related to Islamic laws.

“We stand on our stance about moon sighting in the province and will never step back,” he added.

Popalzai suggested the government legislate on administrative positions in the central moon-sighting committee along with fixing a proper tenure for the chairperson and its members. He added work should be started on the suggestions forwarded to the Senate committee for religious affairs by K-P clerics about the moon-sighting issue.

Popalzai said the central committee had called for a meeting on the sighting of Ramazan moon on June 6. He added if they received testimonies on night of June 5, his mosque committee would consider the testimonies. “If the testimonials are found correct according to Shariah, the committee will announce Ramazan across the province from the next day,” he said.



Popalzai also said every year Masjid Qasim Ali Khan approached the central committee after receiving testimonies from parts of K-P but the central committee never considered them.

Recently, the K-P Assembly had unanimously decided that Ramazan and Eidul Fitr would be observed on the call of the central moon-sighting committee headed by Mufti Muneebur Rehman.

Yousaf said there was a communication gap between the zonal committee and the central one, which led to the split in the nation on the commemoration of religious days.

He said the federal government had established an ulema council, whose members would visit all provinces to meet the clerics there. He added he started the move from his hometown to get a consensus on the issue of moon sighting.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2016.