PESHAWAR: Minister for Health and Information Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shaukat Yousafzai in a media talk today (Tuesday) said that Karachi’s pollution made moon sighting difficult hence the miscommunication on the matter, ARY News reported.
The Minister said that Peshawar’s witnesses should be given precedence over those sighting moon in Karachi due to the different weather, terrain and cleaner environment which changes the viewing angles of the moon drastically.
Yousafzai also said that he would like to request and advise the chairman of the federal Ruet-e-Hilal committee to make Peshawar their center for future moon sightings.
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The Minister reiterated that Peshawar must be an important contributor to the decision upon moon sighting even if the committee is dissolved.
Yesterday, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry in a press conference recommended the dissolution of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.
He said that the central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, headed by chairman Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman should be suspended.
Regarding the moon sighting app ‘Ruet’, he said that every zone can be adjusted by a person’s position so moon sighting is not an issue anymore.
He further stated that he will be sending the five-year lunar Calendar to federal cabinet for approval next week.
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The minister added that the calendar will then be sent to Foreign Ministry as he has been receiving positive feedback and interest from Arab countries.
The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, set up in 1974 under a resolution passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan, determines the appearance of moon and announcement of each Islamic month regularly.
The purpose of the central Ruet committee had been to celebrate religious festivals with unanimity in the country but every year, although indecision and friction between clerics hailing from different sects and provinces added to unneeded controversy over moon sighting.
