By By Shamim Bano
Chairman Central Reut-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman lashed out at the Federal Railway Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour over the persisting moon-sighting controversy and said that the federal minister wanted to create another Fazallualh out of Shahabuddin Popalzai to save himself from the fallout of the Swat operation.
The controversy of moon sighting deepened over the last few days after NWFP celebrated Eid on Sunday while the rest of the nation celebrated Eid a day later. Mufti and Ulema of other sects had, on their part, declared that Mufti Muneeb was wrong while announcing the sighting of Ramazan moon and maintained that Pakistanis must fast for another day.
It may be mentioned here that Bilour had demanded that Mufti Muneeb be replaced with Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, the Chairman of Peshawar based un-official Reut-e-Hilal Committee. Bilour stated that since Muneeb was made Chairman of Reut-e-Hilal Committee the nation continued to celebrate Eid on two different days and now people had also started Ramazan on two different days.
“By demanding that Popalzai be made the Chairman of Reut-e-Hilal Committee, Bilour is paving way for Talibanisation in other parts of the country all the while trying to save his own skin,” he maintained.
While responding to the allegations leveled by Bilour, Muneeb said that 95 per cent of the masses along with the ministers offered Eidul Fitr prayers in accordance with the central Ruet-e-Hilal. He said that Syed Aqil Shah, PPP leader Zahir Shah and even the people of Bilour’s own constituency, Hazara Division, followed the central Ruet-e-Hilal and celebrated Eid on Monday.
“Bilour is promoting religious tension for personal gains and is searching for shelter as he is the main culprit in the Swat operation. He must take note of the situation as he would not be spared as all those who terrorized the masses are being taken to task,” he said.
When asked why the Awami National Party (ANP), a secular party, is interfering in religious affairs, he said, “ANP was earlier an ardent supporter of secularism but now it has suddenly become a proponent of Muslim unity. ANP should understand that most of even their members rejected the decision of Mufti Shahabuddin.” He added that if the president or prime minister had been in the country, they would have celebrated Eidul Fitr in accordance with the decision taken by the central Ruet-e-Hilal.
He said the “shop” at Masjid Qasim Khan should be shut down as its decisions are against Sharia, law and the civilized world. It must be mentioned here that the NWFP government celebrated Eid on the announcement of unofficial Reut-e-Hilal Committee on Sunday, while in the other three provinces Eid was celebrated on Monday.
He said in a statement that moon sighting was the responsibility of religious leaders and not the prerogative of the ANP leaderhsip. “ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan should control his ministers and question them as to why they have created this mess. I demand that Wali should take notice of their decision to celebrate Eid without the sighting of the moon,” he said.
Mufti Muneeb said that Eid was not a festival but a religious ritual which should be observed in accordance with the Shariah and not on some people’s whims.
Referring to a statement of Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour that a Muslim country should celebrate Eid with Saudi Arabia, he said, “Everyone knows that Saudi Arabia has a different system of government where no one challenges official decisions, even regarding moon sighting.”
Federal Minister for Railways and a leader of the ANP, Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, while calling Mufti Munibur Rahman a remnant of Former President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, demanded the dissolution of the existing central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee and suggested the appointment of Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai of Masjid Qasim Ali Khan as the new chairman.