PESHAWAR - For the first time in the recent history, the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA on Wednesday jointly celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr with rest of the country.
It was an old tradition that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA used to observe Ramazan a day before from rest of the country after an unofficial Ruiyat-i-Hilal committee made the announcement diverging from country’s official Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.
While sometime even three Eids had also been observed, as Afghan nationals living in refugees camps and in various cities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA after migrating to Pakistan observe fasting and celebrate Eid along-with Saudi Arabia.
This time the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and federal government had wished to start Ramazan and celebrate Eid-ul-Fitar on the same day.
With the combined efforts of the provincial and federal governments, the issue of sighting the moon and observing Eid on different days was resolved.
Both the centre and the province made all out efforts to ensure the day is celebrated jointly throughout the country.
It was also learnt that Maulvi Syed Badshah Muhammad was also arrested for announcing Eid prayers on Tuesday even before Saudi Arabia. The cleric in Asori Darra of Warai area in Upper Dir was against the official decision to observe Eid on the same day across the country.
An official of Warai police station told Maulvi Badshah was arrested for violating a section of the Ehtram Ramazan Ordinance.
Earlier, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information, Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani also told media-men that officials were in touch with Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Yousaf so that the centre establishes contact with the Qasim Ali Khan Mosque in Peshawar.
The aim was to ensure to accept the witnesses and that their testimonies.
Ghani also said all possible efforts made to ensure there is no controversy over Eid.
Much controversy has surrounded moon sightings over the years and particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as here, the local moon sighting committee of Masjid Qasim Ali Khan led by Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai used to sit prior to the Central Ruiyt-i-Hilal Committee every year.
For many years, Ramazan and Eid had been observed in parts of the province a day before the rest of the county based on the announcement from Popalzai. But this time, however uniformity in celebrating Eid on the same day could possible in absence of Popalzai.
It is pertinent to mention that Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousaf, on May 31, did reach the Auqaf Hall with the mission to convince Popalzai to observe the religious occasion on the same day.
He did assure the participants of the meeting to fill the communication gap between the federal and provincial governments in this regard.
He had also said that his party led government also decided to resolve the controversy by establishing the Ulema Council.
Similarly, the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government moved a resolution in the provincial assembly last month to observe religious occasions on the same day as the centre, and that was passed unanimously.
After meeting the federal minister, Popalzai’s committee did not convene a meeting to decide when to observe Ramazan.
In the same moot, Popalzai voiced his dissatisfaction with the central committee which according to him did not accept testimonies from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa people.
Sardar Yousaf did pledge the central committee will be asked to resolve this matter.
While now for Eid-ul-Fitar moon sighting, the same un-official Ruyet-i-Hilal committee of Masjid Qasim Ali Khan convened its meeting on July 5 with Maulana Khairul Bashar in the chair, as Popalzai was in Saudi Arabia for performance of Umra.
The central committee on July 5 announced Eid-ul-Fitar on (Wednesday) July 6, and no controversy could develop, and all the people across the country as well as Afghan refugees jointly celebrated Eid-ul-Fitar on Wednesday with religious zeal and fervour.