Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman late on Tuesday night announced that the Shawwal moon has been sighted and Pakistan will celebrate Eidul Fitr on Wednesday (July 6). Meanwhile, Muslims in India and Bangladesh will celebrate Eid on Thursday.
Earlier Mufti Muneeb lost his temper in a brief interaction with reporters, as members of the central committee and those at the zonal offices in different cities gathered to sight the Shawwal moon.
TV footage showed Mufti Muneeb lunging at the microphone of a private news channel after a reporter said that an Auqaf Department official had informed reporters that the central committee had received at least 18 testimonies from Lahore, Lower Dir, Gujranwala, Multan, Shawal, Sanghar and Dera Bugti. Hearing the reporter’s statement, Mufti Muneeb angrily said that TV channels were misleading the masses by reporting baseless information. He claimed that the committee had not received any testimony from anywhere and that no Auqaf Department official could step into the committee’s domain.
“Everyone here wants to be chairman of the Ruet committee. We will announce our decision in line with the Shariah,” Muneeb said as he left the room.
Talking to a TV channel, suspended member of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Mufti Abdul Qawwi said that he had received phone calls from at least three people that they have sighted the Shawwal moon. He said the committee should not make the issue controversial and Mufti Muneeb should announce Eidul Fitr on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, religious authorities in India and Bangladesh announced that Eidul Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramzan, will be celebrated on Thursday after the Shawwal moon was not sighted in the neighbouring countries.
The crescent moon which marks the new lunar month was not sighted on Tuesday, and Wednesday would therefore be considered the 30th and final day of Ramzan, it reported.