TIMERGARA (Lower Dir), Oct 13: Contrary to the decision of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, Eid was celebrated in most parts of Dir district on Saturday.

The Lower Dir district is part of the Malakand region and is known for following the decisions of the central committee, unlike other districts of the NWFP.

The district was ruled by a nawab until it was merged with Pakistan in 1969, along with Swat and Chitral states. People of Dir traditionally did not follow the central and southern districts of the province in celebrating the festival.

The festival was celebrated in most parts of Adenzai, Timergara and Talash areas. In some pockets in Jandol, the Eid would be celebrated on Sunday.

The District Ruet-i-Hilal Committee had met on Friday under District Coordination Officer Dr Attaur Rehman.

Maulana Abdur Rehman and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F’s Qazi Fazalullah, members of the committee, complained that they had conveyed ‘confirmed’ moon sighting reports from Drangola, Badwan and Azbar areas to the central ruet committee, but it did not accept them.

They said that once they had ‘proper evidence’, they were left with no other option but to announce that Eid would be celebrated on Saturday. They were not sure why the central committee had not accepted ‘evidence’ from this part of the country.