ISLAMABAD: Timely intervention by the authorities averted the celebration of two Eids in the federal capital as Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz had announced that Eidul Fitr would be observed on Monday.

Sources in the Jamia Hafsa management committee told Dawn that several officers came to meet Maulana Aziz soon after the morning prayers and discussed the matter with him. As a result of the talks, the cleric decided not to celebrate Eid on Monday and neither did he discuss the matter with anyone.

The development was confirmed by a senior official of the capital administration who said the relevant officers of the ICT and other government departments met the Maulana in the wee hours of Monday and resolved the matter related to two Eids in Islamabad.

Contrary to some other parts of the country, privately announced Eidul Fitr has never been observed in Islamabad.

At around 3am on Monday, Maulana Aziz floated messages on social media to his followers as well mediapersons asking them to celebrate Eid on Monday as it was being celebrated in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

He called upon the residents of Islamabad to voluntarily shun the last fast of Ramazan and observe Eid as he too would be doing so.

In his audio message, the Maulana said: “Eid has been celebrated in our honourable centre Afghanistan and our honourable centre Saudi Arabia is celebrating Eid on Monday as it was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Therefore, we too should celebrate Eid today.”

He criticised the central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee for making the decision too early and said the committee should have waited till midnight so that all confusions cold have been cleared.

“We are celebrating Eid today and it is not an issue for those not becoming part of it,” he said while congratulating the whole Muslim world.

But he did not make it clear whether the Eid prayers will be held in the state owned Lal Masjid, Jamia Fareedia or the Jamia Hafsa.

The cleric has been calling the Afghan Taliban as his ideological mentors. Taliban flags were hoisted at Jamia Hafsa in G-7 in September 2021 soon after the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban.

However, the flags were taken down after the then deputy commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat went there along with other officers and told the cleric that Pakistan had yet to recognise the Taliban government.

The cleric has a history of remaining in conflict with authorities and has openly hurled threats that the law and order situation will be out of control if he was arrested.

Due to the failure of the authorities to handle the activities of the Maulana and to prevent him from coming to Lal Masjid, the Masjid Road has been closed, causing inconvenience to the general public.

Published in Dawn,May 3rd, 2022