Man booked for moonsighting comment

In a surprising turn of events, authorities have registered a case against a citizen under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, for questioning the official moonsighting committee's decision not to declare the start of Ramazan on Friday.

According to police, the complaint was filed by Maulana Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi, the Imam of Bannu's Aima Masjid. The accused allegedly used derogatory language against religious scholars on Facebook, claiming that the crescent visible to the naked eye on Saturday evening from various locations across the country, was already two days old and that scholars had deprived people of the first day of fasting.

Moonsighting debates frequently spark controversy in Pakistan, particularly in northwestern regions, where some communities begin Ramazan in line with Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan instead of the national moonsighting committee's announcements.

The case comes at a time when parliament has recently amended PECA, 2016, a move that has faced strong opposition from journalists and media organizations, who argue that the changes are an attempt to stifle free expression.