by OBAID ABBASI
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has geared up efforts to give a legal cover to the controversial Central Ruet-e- Hilal Committee (RHC) after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), too, passed a resolution supporting the federal government, it surfaced on Saturday.
The RHC was established in 1974 through a parliamentary resolution and since then it has been working at the central and district levels without enjoying any legal or “constitutional status”.
The ministry had already prepared a draft to empower the controversial committee so that it could be legalised. However, resolutions were required from two provincial assemblies for its regulation.
Under the proposed draft, 15-member RHC will be established in which religious scholars from all school of thoughts will be appointed. Besides, meteorologists and astrologists will also be the members of the committee to use scientific methods for the moon-sighting.
Currently, a 24-member RHC’s committee working under the chairmanship of Mufti Munibur Rehman— who has been performing his duties since 2001— has no constitutional status. Usually, appointments for the committee are made on political basis.
Under the proposed law, media will not be allowed to announce the date of moon-sighting unless the chairman announces himself officially. In case of of any violation, action will be taken against TV channel.
Ministry of Religious Affairs Director General (Research) Noor Salam told Pakistan Today that KP has recently passed a resolution, following which the ministry has also called a meeting next week in which representatives of all provinces will be invited to finalise the draft.
The official said that since the government took the initiative, over dozen meetings were held and a draft was proposed. In next meeting, consultations will continue and then rules will be finalised in which the criteria of chairman’s appointment will be finalised, explained the official.
The federal government requires the mandate from at least two provinces under Article 141 to carry out the required legislation because the subject has been devolved to the provinces after the 18th Amendment.
The federal government cannot legislate on subjects that have been devolved to the provinces except under Article 141 that says “if two provincial assemblies pass resolutions in favour of some issue, then the federal government can take up that issue in parliament for legislation, and once it gets through both the houses of parliament its operation will be extraterritorial and for the whole or any part of the country”.
The conflict over the onset of Ramazan and Eid day usually begins in KP and especially from Masjid Qasim Khan, where evidence of sighting of the moon for Ramazan and Shawal often contradicts the findings of the RHC. However, last year the ministry decided to give it a legal status and prepared the draft.
The official claimed that matter was delayed for almost a year because the provincial authorities took time to pass the resolution, especially KP.
After KP’s resolution requirement has been fulfilled and ministry will expedite efforts so issue related to the conflicting announcements for start of the fasting month of Ramazan and the eventual celebration of Eidul Fitr could be finished.
In 2014, three Eids were celebrated in the country as the committee and religious scholars from KP failed to reach a consensus on the moon sighting.
