PESHAWAR, Sept 23: Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour has said that Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman Mufti Munibur Rehman is a remnant of the Pervez Musharraf government who should be removed as soon as possible because he has created a controversy over moon sighting.

The ANP leader said at a press conference here on Wednesday the government had decided to remove remnants of the Musharraf regime and it was necessary to replace Mufti Munib to resolve the issue.

Mr Bilour said that 90 per cent of Muslims around the globe, including in the US, the UK and Egypt, had celebrated Eidul Fitr on Sunday, but here people had celebrated Eid on two separate days because of wrong policies of the Ruet-i-Hilal committee.

He said it was not Mufti Munib’s right to retain the post he has held for a long time and he should resign immediately because he had failed to come up to people’s expectations.

He said the government should follow Makkah and Madina for celebrating Ramazan and Eidul Fitr to avoid controversy.

President Asif Ali Zardari had celebrated Eid in the United States and Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the ANP leader added.

He said it was difficult for all people to see the moon on the first day, while it was visible to everyone on the second day. He said the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee never made efforts to see the moon on the first day and always saw it when it was visible to the entire nation.

“I want to clarify it that I have never mentioned the name of Rabwa about the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee. I cannot thing of saying anything which may hurt the feelings of any other religion,” Mr Bilour said.

Referring to an alleged statement of Mufti Munib that the ANP had converted into a religious from secular party after supporting Masjid Qasim Ali Khan, Mr Bilour said: “I’m a worshiper of Allah but proud to be secular, nationalist and progressive.”

He said he and other provincial ministers had mad the announcement on behalf of the NWFP government to celebrate Eid on Sunday after meeting witnesses.

The ANP leader said the NWFP assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution calling for following the Saudi government on sighting of Ramazan and Eid moons.

In reply to a question, he said several countries in Asia and Europe which have more time difference with Saudi Arabia than Pakistan followed the Saudi government’s decisions on moon sighting.

In reply to another question, he alleged that a railways employee in Peshawar, Maryam Gilani, was trying to blackmail him through articles in a newspaper.

He said the celebration of Eid on Sunday was based on genuine evidence testified and announced by a committee of ulema led by Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai at Peshawar’s Masjid Qasim Ali Khan.

Our Staff Reporter in Islamabad adds: The stance of ANP leaders and those who observed Eid in the NWFP on Sunday was indirectly backed by federal Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi.

A split also emerged not only in government ranks but within the ANP and even the moon sighting committee.

Some ANP leaders observed Eid in accordance with the announcement of Mufti Munib and some members of the provincial Ruet-i-Hilal Committee quit in the wake of the controversy.

The religious affairs minister said: “There is no harm in celebrating two Eids and both parties are bickering over a non-issue. Have we resolved all other issues confronting us that we have indulged ourselves in a non-issue.”

He, however, said the dispute arose after a statement by ANP leader Bashir Bilour, who had been claiming since the start of Ramazan that there would be one Eid throughout the country.

An exchange of harsh statements between Mr Bilour and Mufti Munib was televised live by almost all private news channels.

The railways minister apparently tried to give the issue a provincial touch.

Reacting to Mr Bilour’s demand for his removal, Mufti Munib said: “If I am a remnant of Musharraf then so are army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani who has bestowed a new life to ANP leaders and saved them from Taliban, all governors and even the chief justice of Pakistan who were appointed by Pervez Musharraf, but ANP leaders bow their heads in front of them.”

Mr Bilour said the idea of celebrating Eid with Saudi Arabia had been endorsed by scholars of Jamia Al Azhar.

A religious leader, Hassan Zafar Naqvi, said if the ANP leaders wanted to go with Saudi Arabia, they would have to offer prayers according to the timing in the kingdom. “But it is impossible because in that case they will have to offer Fajr prayers at 8am and at that time it will be night in the United States.”

Former religious affairs minister Ijazul Haq dispelled a perception that the Saudis observed Eid on the decision of their king. “There is a moon-sighting committee in Saudi Arabia and it meets every year, but its decision is announced by the royal family.”

Mufti Munib claimed that Eid had been celebrated in most parts of the NWFP in accordance with his announcement, but the railways minister was portraying it as a Pakhtun issue. “Most of the Pakhtuns are with the centre and they celebrated Eid on Monday,” he added.
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