ISLAMABAD: Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of sighting the moon in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 23, saying it will not be possible to spot the moon during sunset with telescopes.

He confirmed this based on a computer-generated image showing exact position of the moon. The image was generated by the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).

“On April 23, the moon will only be 2 degrees above the horizon at sunset; it is impossible to spot the moon during sunset with telescopes. Therefore, if anyone living in Pakistan wants to fast with the people in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia it is up to them,” he said.

The ministry had stated earlier, that the Ramazan moon would be sighted nationwide on April 24 and the month of Ramazan will begin from April 25. It is expected that the ministry will hold a press conference on Thursday to officially announce the beginning of Ramazan.

Mr Chaudhry also announced that for the first time in the history of the country, the science ministry has been given representation in the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee. The ministry’s Joint Secretary Dr Tariq Masood has been appointed as the member of technical support in Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

“This is a step in the right direction. Religious events and holidays should be a reason for unity instead of division between the people. On this positive note we must progress,” Mr Chaudhry tweeted.

While the state maintains that with today’s technology, calculations are far more accurate than sightings with telescopes, ulema insist that the ministry leave this task to them.

Last month, Mr Chaudhry and moderate scholar Tahir Ashrafi invited the ulema for an interactive briefing about scientific methods of sighting the moon.

“This is nothing personal but a national issue. We appreciate ulema who have approved the scientific method. We urge members rejecting modern methods of moon-sighting to, give us a chance to explain how the scientific approach works,” Mr Chaudhry had said at a press briefing urging the ulema for support.

An app and a calendar have also been developed by the ministry that show main Islamic dates and months for the next five years based on scientific evidence.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2020