Minister for abolishing Ruet-e-Hilal Committee

Fawad says will present lunar calendar before federal cabinet for approval

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said the ministry will present the lunar calendar before the federal cabinet for its approval and implementation across the country officially.

Addressing the media here on Monday, Fawad said the ministry would also suggest the cabinet to abolish the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee so that technology could be utilised in the modern era for crescent sighting.

He said initially the calendar had been prepared for a period of five years as more research was taking place, which would introduce more modern techniques in coming years.

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“As per the [lunar] calendar, Eidul Azha will fall on August 12 in Pakistan,” he added.

The minister, who recently returned from Iran after attending the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) conference, said he had also planned to send the calendar to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to adopt it as first-ever joint calendar of the Islamic world.

Accordingly, he said, a letter would be sent to the Foreign Office for onward submission of the calendar to the OIC as he received a good response from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates authorities under this initiative.

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Highlighting the importance of switching over to science and technology-based developments, Fawad said efforts were being made to collaborate with Turkey, America, Russia and other developed countries.

"Third world countries can't progress without benefiting from progress made in science and technology," said the minister.

He hoped that cooperation between Pakistan and America would expand in the field of science and technology as a result of Prime Minister Imran Khan's upcoming visit to America.