Fawad forms committee to resolve moon sighting controversy

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ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday announced that a committee has been formed to put an end to the controversy surrounding moon sighting.

“Ministry of Science and Technology Committee to resolve moon sighting controversy constituted,” he tweeted this morning, embedding a notification issued to this effect.

“The Federal Minister for Science and Technology has been pleased to constitute the following committee to finalize the calendar to indicate the exact dates of Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Eid-ul-Azha and Moharram for the next five years with 100% accuracy,” reads the notification.

The committee will be led by Dr Muhammad Tariq Masood, joint scientific adviser of the science and technology ministry; Waqar Ahmad, lecturer at the metrology department of Comsats, Islamabad; Nadeem Faisal, and Abu Nasan, deputy directors at the metrology department; and Ghulam Murtaza of SUPARCO (Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission), Islamabad.

On Sunday, the former information minister stirred a controversy after he criticised the Ruet-Hilal Committee. Ulema cannot be given the authority to dictate the day-to-day affairs of the country and the government would instead introduce a lunar calendar for the next 10 years to make moon sighting for Islamic months non-controversial, Fawad had said.

Subsequently, its chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to restrain ministers from commenting over religious matters without knowledge.