Most districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) including Peshawar are celebrating Eidul Fitr today (Monday) after the provincial government announced its intention to celebrate the holiday on April 2.
However, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced that the Shawwal moon was not sighted in Pakistan on Sunday night and Eid would be celebrated in the country on April 3.
The announcement came minutes after a local Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, led by Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai in Peshawar, announced that the Shawwal moon was sighted and Eidul Fitr would be celebrated today as “more than 17 testimonies” had been received.
The largest Eid prayer in the province was held at Peshawar’s Eid Gah ground, the first in two years without Covid-19 SOPs in place.
The province’s Chief Cleric Maulana Muhammad Tayyab Qureshi led the prayers which were also attended by Provincial Minister for Higher Education Kamran Bangash. Awami National Party’s (ANP) Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour and Senator Hidayatullah among others. After the Eid prayers, special prayers were offered for the security of the nation and the peace and success of the Muslim Ummah.
K-P Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, other provincial ministers, the chief secretary and other government officials offered Eid prayers at the Governor House.
Later, the CM Mehmood interacted with the worshipers and wished them on the occasion. Talking to the media, Minister Bangash said more than 100 testimonies were received from different parts of the province but they were not acknowledged.
"We tried to create solidarity and consensus, but unfortunately our testimonies were not accepted. Eid has also been sacrificed for politics, which should not have happened," he said.
ANP’s central leader Haji Bilour said if Eid was celebrated with Saudi Arabia then there would be no conflict and division. “If the centre of Muslims is Haramain Shareef, then why is Eid is not with them?” he asked.
Senator Hidayatullah said that they are grateful to the zonal committee and the provincial government for announcing the celebration of Eidul Fitr on May 2.
“The Central Route Hilal Committee should continue its meeting till late and acknowledge the evidence of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he advised.
Read More: Hot and bothered: Karachi braces for a sweat-soaked Eidul Fitr
“The Center should acknowledge the evidence of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as not doing so would create a very negative impression,” Cleric Qureshi said.
Arab countries, Muslims in Europe, US celebrate Eidul Fitr
The Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Yemen as well as Muslims in Europe, America and East Asia are celebrating Eidul Fitr today (Monday)
In a message on the occasion, the OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha expressed warm felicitations to the entire Muslim community.
“Although the Eid is an occasion that carries lofty meanings and feelings, the existence of numerous crises in the ummah as we celebrate the Eid remains a source of distress,” he asserted.
He renewed the solidarity of the OIC with the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in the face of the wicked Israeli onslaught.
Furthermore, he equally expressed solidarity with the Rohingya refugees, Muslims of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Muslims in various parts of the world.
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