Committee formed to finalise exact dates of Ramazan, Eid and Muharram

Members include officials from SUPARCO, PMD and Ministry of Science and Technology


Newsdesk May 07, 2019
Federal Minister for Science and Fawad Chaudhry. PHOTO: APP

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has constituted a five-member committee to finalise exact dates of Ramazan, Eidul Fitr, Eidul Azha and Muharram for the next five years, Radio Pakistan reported.

A notification in this regard has been issued.

The committee includes officials from Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and Ministry of Science and Technology.



On Monday, Fawad Chaudhry said that it was unwise to spend Rs4 million for sighting the crescent. He said that he respected religious clerics but such issues were decided voluntarily.

“I have given my opinion, it’s not necessary that everyone has to agree with me, however, there is no wisdom in spending around Rs4 million.”

“There should be no compensation for moon sighting. Ruet-e-Hilal committee members should sight the crescent voluntarily, all knowledgeable clerics are in favour of my opinion,” the minister said.

Mufti Muneeb asks PM to 'rein in' his ministers after Fawad’s diatribe

He added that science and technology should be deployed for this purpose. If a ten-year calendar is made, then unnecessary expenditures can be saved.

The Ruet-e-Hilal Committee took strong exception to Fawad Chaudhry’s statement about the role of religious scholars in sighting of the moon and the creation of Pakistan on Sunday.

Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to ‘rein in’ his ministers after the federal minister for science and technology launched a verbal attack on Islamic clerics, accusing them of making lunar sighting for Islamic months a controversial affair every year as well as opposing the creation of Pakistan.

 

 

 

COMMENTS (5)

Irshad K | 5 years ago | Reply Brilliant move by Fawad Chaudhry. If scientists can make exact predictions of sun and moon eclipse five years in advance then they can certainly tell us the exact dates of Ramazan, Eidul Fitr, Eidul Azha and Muharram for the next five years.
Sajjad Ashraf | 5 years ago | Reply Moon sitting is not the prerogative of the so called religious scholars. Moon sighting was only a signal 1450 years back when no other means were available to determine months. Science has advanced to a stage where precise sightings are determined. I have been associated with Singapore for 15 years now. They publish the calendar at the beginning of the year and they have never been wrong in announcing the Islamic days during this time. The minister is right. These mullahs make us the laughing stock and yet they take so much money from the taxpayers. They must go...
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