Rifts over observing Eidul Fitr

Governor skipped Eid prayers on June 4 as endorsed by provincial govt

PESHAWAR: After the provincial government threw its weight behind the moon-sighting announcements from Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, the khateeb of the historic Qasim Khan Mosque of Peshawar and chief of the regional Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, a rift has emerged between the provincial government and some senior members of the ruling party.

The most prominent of rifts to have emerged is between the provincial government and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Shah Farman.

Farman, who represents the federation in the province, had decided to leave Peshawar altogether for Eidul Fitr, instead choosing to celebrate it in the hill station of Nathiagali.

He thus skipped the Eidul Fitr prayers held across much of the province on June 4 and instead attended prayers with the rest of the country on June 5, when Eidul Fitr was announced by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee led by Mufti Muneebur Rehman.

On the other hand, the provincial government — after taking Prime Minister Imran Khan on board — had endorsed Mufti Popalzai’s proclamation of Eidul Fitr on June 4. The chief minister and most of his cabinet attended Eid prayers on Tuesday as most parts of the province observed the religious festival.

The provincial government then went one step further with K-P Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai complaining that the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee dominated by Mufti Rehman ignores moon-sighting testimony from the province and suggested that the provincial government will recommend replacing the veteran cleric with Mufti Popalzai to address the issue of two Ramazan and two Eids once and for all.

Meanwhile, sources have disclosed that Farman has taken a dim view of how the provincial government has chosen to ignore the central moon-sighting committee.

"He [Governor Farman] was of the view that the provincial government should refrain from [endorsing] the privately-owned Ruet-e-Hilal committee while support for Masjid Qasim Ali Khan should be curtailed,” a source with knowledge of the governor’s position on the matter said.

The source added that some cabinet ministers declined [to curb Mufti Popalzai’s influence], but the support [extended by the chief minister] had annoyed the Governor who chose to offer his Eidul Fitr prayers in Nathiagali, of Hazara division.

The differences became more visible when Chief Minister Mahmood Khan invited Governor Shah Farman — both members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — to the Chief Minister House in Peshawar for Eid prayers but Farman decided otherwise.

Later, in a statement, Farman explained that since he was a representative of the federation, it was apt that he celebrates Eidul Fitr on the day it is celebrated by the symbol of the federation, President Arif Alvi.

Eid in Abbottabad

Most parts of K-P had observed Eid on June 4 except for Dera Ismail Khan and the Hazara Division.

Eid in Abbottabad, in the Hazara Division, was celebrated on Wednesday, June 5 as with the rest of the country while following the Eidul Fitr announcement from the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee while rejecting the decision of the K-P government.

The main Eid prayers in the division were held at the newly renovated Eid Gah in Abbottabad. Major Eid congregations were held at more than 40 places in the Abbottabad district.

Prime minister Imran Khan, along with his family visited Nathia Gali on the first day of Eid.

A large number of people from all walks of life including imams of local mosques, social activists and the general strongly criticised the decision of K-P government to not observe Eid as per the decision of the central moon-sighting committee, which shows its complete incompetence on the key national issue apart from creating divisions amongst the public.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM ZUBAIR AYUB IN ABBOTTABAD 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2019.