Eid in some KP areas today
Tauseef-ur-Rahman
PESHAWAR: The unofficial moon sighting committee at the historic Qasim Ali Khan mosque here late on Monday night declared that Eidul Fitr would be celebrated today (Tuesday) as the Shawwal moon had been sighted in several places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Unlike previous years, the Awami National Party-led provincial government neither endorsed nor rejected the decision of the clerics based at the Qasim Ali Khan mosque. Provincial Information Minister and spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Minister for Religious Affairs Namroz Khan could not be reached for comments despite calls to their cell phones.
However, sources in the provincial government said that it had decided not to intervene in the affair and leave the matter to the clerics. The Central Ruet-i-Hilal committee will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) in Karachi to decide about the Shawwal moon sighting.
Interestingly, unofficial committee members waited for an announcement from Saudi Arabia and decided not to entertain any evidence till the announcement of moon sighting by the Saudi government, which at 9:15 PST announced that Eidul Fitr would be observed on Tuesday.
Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, the prayer leader at the Qasim Ali Khan mosque and head of the unofficial Ruet-i-Hilal committee operating in Peshawar for years, announced that he and his colleagues had received testimonies about Shawaal moon sighting from 10 persons hailing from different parts of the city. In addition he said testimonies were also received from other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“The Ulema in our committee heard the testimonies of 10 persons and examined the evidence in the light of Shariah,” he stated. “We are satisfied that the Shawwal moon has been sighted and Eidul Fitr will be celebrated on Tuesday,” he announced to a large number of waiting reporters and scores of people who had converged at the mosque.
To a question, Mufti Popalzai said the issue of celebrating two Eids in the country would continue unless the federal government and Central Ruet-i-Hilal committee gave priority to the principles of Shariah with regards the moon sighting issue.
Meanwhile, the local Ruet-i-Hilal committee in Mardan that met at the Mohib Baba mosque also announced it had received 20 evidences of Shawwal moon sighting including by six females. The Jamiat Ulema-i-Afghan, Charsadda also announced Eid on Tuesday. The committee said it had received nine evidences of moon sighting.
Alongwith Peshawar, Charsadda and Mardan, Eid would also be celebrated today in Nowshera, Swabi, Bannu and other districts. Eidul Fitr is also being celebrated in the Fata including Khyber, Bajaur, Orakzai and North Waziristan agencies.
Afghan refugees residing in camps and different parts of the province will also celebrate Eidul Fitr today. However, people in Hazara and Malakand division will follow the decision of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.
Source: The News
Date:8/30/2011
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