Eid to be celebrated on same day across Pakistan this year: Mufti Abdul Shakoor

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor has said that Eidul Fitr would be celebrated across Pakistan on the same day this year.

In a bid to ensure that the Eid is celebrated on the same day in the country, Mufti Abdul Shakoor said that he himself will evaluate the evidence of the Shawwal moon sighting.

Talking to Samaa TV, the minister hoped that there would be no controversy over the moon sighting this year.

Responding to a question, the religious affairs minister said that over 81,000 Pakistanis will perform Hajj this year. He maintained that they will try to upgrade the Hajj operation system to facilitate the pilgrims.

Eid moon controversy

It is pertinent to mention here that the Shawwal moon-sighting controversy has been marring the joys of Eidul Fitr in the country for the past several years. 

Peshawar’s historic Masjid Qasim Ali Khan’s religious cleric Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, who runs an unofficial committee, usually disagrees with the decision of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee of Pakistan.

He makes his decision independently, creating confusion among the people. 

Last year, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee took several hours to announce the decision on the Shawwal moon reportedly due to conflicting reports of moon sighting.

The dispute over the moon is not new in Pakistan and has been a bone of contention.  It got another twist in recent years after the launching of an app by the science ministry headed by the then minister Fawad Chauhdry, angering clerics who accused him of meddling in issues which are purely religious.

The previous government had also removed Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman and appointed Maulana Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad as Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairman to minimize the differences.