PESHAWAR: The dispute about the Shawwal moon sighting ended up in the celebration of two Eids on two different days — again.
Muslims in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa crowded mosques and prayer grounds across the province to offer prayers on Monday, a day before the rest of the country.
Prayers were held at over 100 places in Peshawar alone while Chief Minister Mahmood Khan offered his prayer at the Governor’s House.
وزیراعلی @IMMahmoodKhan نے گورنر ہاؤس پشاور کی مسجد میں #عيدالفطر کی نماز ادا کردی۔ صوبائی وزیر عارف آحمدزئی، چیف سیکرٹری شہزاد بنگش، کمشنر پشاور اور دیگر سرکاری حکام نے وزیر اعلی کے ہمراہ نماز عید ادا کی۔ اس موقع پر وزیر اعلی نمازیوں میں گھل مل گئے اور عید کی مبارکباد وصول کی۔ pic.twitter.com/vNMKE8FxMj
— Chief Minister KP (@KPChiefMinister) May 2, 2022
While no one testified of sighting the moon from the Hazara district, therefore, acting Governor Mushtaq Ghani said they will celebrate Eid on Tuesday.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Lebanon, Palestine, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines celebrated Eid on Monday whereas India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc have not sighted the moon therefore they will be celebrating Eid on Tuesday.
It merits a mention here that Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, adviser for information to the chief minister, while issuing an important statement regarding the moon sighting, said some 130 examples of moon sightings have been received from across the province.
He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to officially celebrate Eid on Monday.
Whereas on the other hand, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, the nation’s official body tasked with sighting the moon, announced that the Shawwal moon has not been sighted, therefore, Eid will be celebrated on Tuesday.
A meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee was held under the chairmanship of Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad at the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in Islamabad.
While the final announcement for the crescent of Shawwal was made by Azad. The Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairperson announced that the moon of Shawwal has not been sighted and Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated elsewhere in Pakistan on Tuesday.
