ISLAMABAD: Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad on Friday announced that Rajab moon had not been sighted and the month will commence on Sunday (tomorrow).

The committee chairman made the announcement after a meeting held in the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Members of the committee including Pir Mohammad Mumtaz Ahmad, Maulana Mohammad Iqbal Naeemi, Mufti Abdul Salam Jalali, Maulana Haroon Al-Rasheed, Maulana Abu Bakar Siddique and Allama Sajjad Naqvi participated in the meeting.

Talking to media after the meeting, the committee chairman said unity was needed in Pakistan and conspiracies must be thwarted together.

Later, talking to Dawn, he said interfaith harmony was the need of the hour and lauded the efforts of Prime Minister Imran Khan in countering Islamophobia at the international level.

Maulana Azad, who is also the khateeb of Badshahi Masjid Lahore, said the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee was a unifying platform for the followers of different schools of thought but the platform caused rifts among clerics and religious scholars in the past.

“I plan to visit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to have a meeting with Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai,” Maulana Azad said.

He said Ruet-i-Hial committees would be established up at the tehsil level to help streamline and organise moonsighting.

“Since we believe in science and scientific developments, the committee will also seek assistance of technical experts in moonsighting,” Maulana Azad said.

Earlier, Maulana Azad met Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in his office and discussed interfaith harmony, challenges facing Islam and peace and unity in the country.

He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had presented the case of Pakistan as a flag-bearer of peaceful coherence among various communities.

He told the foreign minister: “You and Prime Minister Imran Khan have successfully highlighted the counter-Islamophobia narrative at key international forums, including the UN.”

Maulana Azad said the prime minister and the foreign minister had raised a voice for the oppressed people of Indian occupied Kashmir at all relevant international forums.

“India will not be able to suppress the right of self-determination of the people of Kashmir. Amy Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Pakistan’s armed forces have thwarted India’s conspiracies and strengthened Pakistan’s defence,” he said.

Maulana Azad also assured the foreign minister on behalf of religious segments that any foreign agenda will not be allowed to succeed against Islam in the country.

“Islam is a religion of peace that speaks about uniting people,” he said, adding Pakistan needed to enhance sectarian and inter-religious harmony as it was the need of time.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2021