KP govt endorses Popalzai decision to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr today

PESHAWAR: Two Eids will be observed yet again in Pakistan as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to stand by the Masjid Qasim Ali Khan’s announcement.

“The provincial government announced to observe Eid on Tuesday after moon-sighting reports were received from across the province,” said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Shaukat Yousafzai, while talking to Geo News. “We have informed the central moon-sighting committee about our decision.”

Yousafzai, however, said the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee doesn’t accept the witnesses from the KP as credible.

KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has decided for all the people in the province to observe Eid on the same day accordingly, the provincial government decided to announce Eid on Tuesday, said Yousafzai. He said the KP province has always celebrated two Eids that is why we decided to announce a single Eid across the province.

Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai had late Monday announced that the moon of Shawwal has been sighted in Peshawar, Mardan and Swabi, and Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Tuesday, June 4, 2019.

The committee received moon-sighting witnesses from over 100 places in the province, said Popalzai.

However, the federal government had earlier announced that Eid will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 as the Met office predicted that the moon will be sighted in the country on Tuesday, June 4.

On May 31, Federal Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said that Eid-ul-Fitr would be celebrated on June 5 even if the moon-sighting committees don’t agree.

“Eid-ul-Fitr should be celebrated across the country on the same day,” said Chaudhry while addressing a press conference Monday.

The scientific methods are being used to sight the Shawal moon just to unite the nation, not to let down anyone, he said.