PESHAWAR: Confusion over moon sighting of Ramazan intensified after Mufti Popalzai suggested to Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousaf to place advertisements in newspapers and call those people, who had sighted Shaaban moon to appear before the central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

Mufti Popalzai, head of a private moon sighting committee in Peshawar, also expressed reservations over constitutional status of the chairman and members of central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

Sardar Yousuf met Mufti Popalzai at Auqaf Hall on Tuesday to work out a mechanism for sighting Ramazan moon and to celebrate Eidul Fitr on the same day across the country.

Popalzai suggests placing ads in media to collect evidence

The federal minister said that he came to Peshawar for consultation and seeking opinion of local ulema to end controversy about sighting of Ramazan moon.

However, demands presented by Mufti Popalzai to the minister apparently created more confusion rather solving this thorny issue between the central committee and Qasim Ali Khan mosque’s committee.

Majority of the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas either follow private moon sighting committees or Saudi Arabia for beginning of Ramazan and celebration of Eidul Fitr. The central committee will meet on June 6 while the private committees are likely to decide sighting Ramazan moon on June 5.

Talking to media, the cleric said that two people hailing from Charsadda and Shabqadar had claimed that they had sighted Shaaban moon on May 8. He said that he had asked them to record their evidence with the central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, but the two men were not heard.

“If the evidence is found to be credible, the central committee should start counting of Shaaban from May 8,” argued Mufti Popalzai. Officially, he said, the month of Shaaban had begun from May 9.

He proposed to the minister to place advertisements in newspapers and summon those people, who had sighted Shaaban moon one day before the central committee. “If central committee considers these evidences credible then the meeting for sighting Ramazan moon should be held on June 5,” he said.

Mufti Popalzai said that central committee should show flexibility and should not reject evidences from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa instantly. Expressing reservations over constitutional status of the central committee, he said that the government should determine tenure of the chairman and members.

Without naming Mufti Munibur Rehman, he said that a person had occupied the seat of chairman for the last 30 years. He said that the government should give constitutional cover to the committee.

Sardar Yousuf said that ministry for religious affairs would hold discussion on proposals particularly placing advertisement about collecting evidence of Shaaban moon. He said that ulema should develop consensus to celebrate religious festivals on the same day.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2016