Fawad Chaudhry wants to replace debit cards with mobile payments

After the introduction of the lunar calendar, the Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Monday announced that the next challenge for the ministry is to work towards a mobile payment system.



He took to Twitter to announce that the next step was to replace credit and debit cards with mobile payments.

"For the growth of technology, the ease of making online transactions is essential and in a few months, all payments ranging from purchasing a bus ticket to buying a car will take place through mobile payments," according to the tweet.

On Sunday, the ministry launched Pakistan’s first moon sighting website and according to the newly-formulated five-year lunar calendar, Eidul Fitr will fall on June 5 this year.

“We have launched pakmoonsighting.pk website and Eidul Fitr will fall on June 5 this year … we have formulated the lunar calendar for five years which will be presented before the federal cabinet on Tuesday for final approval,” said the minister.

MoonSighting Pakistan launched..... https://t.co/1HSEzw7cMf

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) May 26, 2019

The National Assembly was recently informed that an amount of Rs3.06 million was spent on the sighting of the moon for Muharram, Ramazan, Eidul Fitr and Eidul Azha in 2018.

Fawad also invited renowned clerics Mufti Muneebur Rehman and Shahabuddin Popalzai to see “how the moon cycle works”.



“We are inviting Maulana Muneebur Rehman and Shahabuddin Popalzai to come and witness how the moon cycle works,” wrote Fawad. “And see for themselves how easy science has made it to predict the lunar calendar. There is no need for an arduous task.”