ISLAMABAD, July 22: Efforts of the Senate`s standing committee on religious affairs to observe Ramazan and Eid on same days throughout the country went futile on Friday when clerics from Peshawar`s Qasim Khan Mosque refused to accept the authority of the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

A meeting of the committee was held at the Parliament House to discuss the issue and evolve a consensus on it. It was attended by Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman and a delegation of more than half a dozen ulema of Qasim Khan Mosque, headed by Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai.

The committee chairman Senator Maulana Muhammad Saleh Shah Qureshi said it was the responsibility of religious leaders to develop unity and brotherhood among the fellow Muslims.

“But it is being observed that ulema themselves are not united over various issues, including the commencement of Ramazan and the day of Eid. It is unfortunate that we are not able to celebrate the most important festival together.”

Maulana Qureshi`s statement was interrupted by a senior member of Qasim Khan Mosque who said that Ramazan and Eid were not celebrations; these should be addressed as prayers and religious rites.

The delegation members said the authorities should not interfere in the affairs of `Sharia`.

Mufti Munib said Ruet-i-Hilal was an autonomous body and all its members were volunteers who worked to streamline the moon sighting process for the service of Islam and the nation. He said Ruet-i-Hilal was a representative body of ulema belonging to all sects and groups and decisions were taken in accordance with the Sharia law.

“We have never been pressurised by the government or any department to announce the commencement of Ramazan,” Mufti Munib said, adding that while the whole nation accepted the committee`s decisions these had been regularly defied by some people belonging to Bannu, Charsadda, Mardan and Peshawar.

“Despite our repeated efforts no consensus has been reached with them,” he added.

Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzi criticised the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee and said it was a government body. He accused the committee and its members of forwarding official agenda to disregard Sharia practices. “The issue can be resolved only if these (Ruet-i-Hilal) people are serious and take ulema of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into confidence,” Mufti Popalzai added.

He said Qasim Khan Mosque was established in 1825 and its ulema had a long tradition to take decisions as per Sharia laws.

Maulana Bashir Ahmed Kakakhel, a member of the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, said he had learned about procedures for fixing Ramazan and Eid days in various countries, including Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.

“Reports of Met offices are taken seriously in most Muslim countries and we should not ignore this practice in Pakistan,” he said, adding that there were also many false evidences and that too during the time when moon had not even originated as per the Met Office report. Maulana Kakakhel`s remarks led to a brawl between the two groups of ulema and Mufti Popalzai asked: “If you have to choose between science and Sharia what will you believe?” He said science was evolving, but Sharia laws would be there till the day of judgement.

While Senator Raja Zafarul Haq of the PML-N tried to calm down the situation, Religious Affairs Minister Khursheed Ahmed Shah said the matter could never be resolved. “If a committee is sent to the moon even then many ulema will say that the moon is not visible,” he added.

With no end to the arguments in sight, the standing committee chairman announced that a sub-committee would be set up later to discuss the matter with ulema and try to evolve a consensus for observing Ramazan and Eid on same days across the country.