ISLAMABAD: A weighty agenda placed before the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on Tuesday produced a lively, politically loaded discussion on the Eid moon sighting.

At the end, the committee turned down a proposal to link the monthly sighting of new moon with Makkah, fearing the move would stir a new wave of controversy among Muslims in Pakistan - and possibly globally.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Hafiz Hamdullah, who belongs to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and is also a cleric, felt the proposal made a mockery of Ramazan.

Standing committee chairman calls for laws to be framed for Ruet-i-Hilal Committee

“We have two starting days for Ramazan and two, maybe more, Eids every year because no progress has been made on framing laws relating to the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee,” he said.

“Currently, neither Mufti Muneebur Rehman nor Mufti Popalzai enjoy any legal standing,” he said, adding that no one can be stopped from saying they have seen the moon in any part of the country.

Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yousuf recalled that a senior cleric had proposed to link the lunar calendar of Pakistan with the sighting of new moon in Makkah.

“That is done in many countries, including Canada, Afghanistan and in parts of Indonesia, and we too can be part of this global calendar,” the minister suggested.

But his suggestion was shot down not only by committee members but also by the leader of the upper house, Senator Raja Zafar ul Haq of the PML-N.

“We are facing a moon sighting issue in the country and you want to make it a global issue,” he said.

“In the present circumstances, Qatar will not accept the Saudi moon, where will we stand,” he asked.

Senator Sajid Mir, the chief of the Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadis, also decried the Ministry of Religious Affairs for backing the proposal, saying next time somebody will come up with the idea of saying prayers at Saudi-set timings.

“Who floated this idea,” Mr Mir asked.

“A senior mufti living in the US,” came the reply.

“Oh, now it makes sense,” Mr Mir said. ”Why do we have all such ideas coming from the US?”

Mr Hamdullah added: “After sighting of the moon in Saudi Arabia, you will ask the military alliance for an Islamic lashkar to enforce it globally, especially in areas held by Daesh. Let us focus on the moon [sighting] in Pakistan.”

Minister of State for Religious Affairs Pir Aminur Hasnat announced that the central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee will meet in Peshawar for sighting of the Shawal moon.

“We will invite Mufti Popalzai to be part of it,” he said. “Let us clear the issue this time. Hopefully the law relating to the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee will be available next year.”

The committee suggested adding a clause in the law to punish anyone giving false evidence about sighting the moon.

The committee also discussed the arrangements for Haj 2017. It was suggested that, from next year, a bar may be imposed on people above 90 who have performed Haj once in life.

The committee was informed that 197 persons above 90, with 27 above the age of 100, are performing Haj this year under the government’s scheme.

The committee was also informed that the Ministry of Religious Affairs will conduct scrutiny of all private Haj operators and reallocate their quotas apart from granting licences to new ones before Haj operations next year.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2017