Multiple Eids: Nation to celebrate on August 20, K-P on 19

Peshawar zonal committee says testimonies they received were not considered by central committee.


Web Desk August 18, 2012

The Shawwal moon has not been spotted across the country, Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Mufti Muneebur Rehman announced on Saturday, Express News reported. Eid-ul-Fitr across the country will be observed on August 20.

Addressing a press conference, Mufti Rehman said that no credible testimonies of sighting the moon were received from the provincial capitals, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta.

The various zonal Ruet-e-Hilal committees had convened a meeting to sight the moon in major cities of the country while the Central Ruet-e-Hilal committee meeting was held in Karachi.

The official announcement of the sighting of the Shawwal moon was made after consulting all the committees.

Eid in K-P on Sunday

Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, chief cleric of the Qasim Ali Khan Mosque in Peshawar, announced on Saturday that Eid-ul-Fitr in the city will be celebrated on August 19, Sunday.

He said that testimonies were received from 23 men and one woman from across the province.

K-P senior minister Bashir Bilour, on behalf of the provincial government, announced that Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on August 19 across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The zonal Reut-e-Hilal Committee of Peshawar also lodged its protest against the central committee’s announcement of celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr on August 20.

The zonal committee said that the testimonies received from across the province were not given any consideration by the central committee.

Maulana Ehsanul Haq from the zonal committee, talking to Express News, maintained that their demands since several years have been the same. “The central committee should continue with its meeting till around 11pm. Because we keep receiving testimonies and it takes time to forward it to them. They always end the meeting around 9pm. The same happened this year.”

Haq added that the zonal committee has appealed to the provincial government to announce Eid on Sunday. “God willingly, we will celebrate Eid tomorrow.”

Reports of the moon being sighted in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were received by the zonal Ruet-e-Hilal committee there, including 15 testimonies from Mardan.

Areas of North Waziristan, including Bajaur, Mardan and Banu will also celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on August 19.

COMMENTS (87)

Pakpurestani, | 11 years ago | Reply

@Waziristani: Yes, you are right in demanding the abolition of the Ruete Hilal Committee because it failed in the very purpose of its creation to enable all Pakistanis celebrate the Eid on a single day through out the country. It is a bitter fact of our 60 years history that Eid is never held on one day in all the five politically divided provinces nor due the religiously divided into 72 sectarian society it will never be possible to celebrate Eid on one day. In view of such an unenviable situation, the only way out of this laughing away situation is that the govt. should announce the dates of three days, allowing all to celebrated Eid on one of these three declared dates. In this way the Pakistanis will get rid of the confusion created by the ridiculous style of moon sighting and its too much delayed announcements causing a lot of heart burning in the innocent people.

Think! | 11 years ago | Reply

How about mufti sahab move his moon-sighting meeting to Peshawar on next Eid! If the Pathans are so sure of seeing it a day earlier, mufti sahab will too... And we will have Eid on the same day.

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