Nation united for start of same-day Ramazan
Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, after taking over the post of the chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (RHC), held the meeting of the central committee in Peshawar for the third consecutive year to sight the moon for the holy month of Ramazan, thus ensuring uniformity across the country.
Under the chairmanship of Mufti Muneebur Rahman, the former chairman of the RHC, a meeting of the committee was held on April 23 to sight the moon.
The central committee declared April 25 as the first day of fasting, but Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai’s committee declared April 24 as the first day of fasting. The nation thus stood divided on the matter.
However, in 2021, Maulana Azad took over the position and held a meeting on April 14. The date he announced was observed across the country. In 2022, he once again held a meeting in Peshawar on April 3 and ensured the same day of fasting across the country.
This year as well, the central committee meeting was held in Peshawar on Wednesday, and the start of the holy month was announced from Thursday.
While the controversy surrounding the start of Ramazan seems to have been sorted out, there has been a lack of consensus over Eidul Fitr for the past two years.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 24th, 2023.