Afghan refugees celebrate Eidul Azha on Monday

PESHAWAR: The Afghan refugees living in the provincial capital and elsewhere in the country along with some Pakistanis belonging to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) celebrated Eidul Azha on Monday.

The Afghans and some tribal people in Pakistan normally celebrate Eids on the same day as Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

In the Peshawar district, the Eid prayers were offered at Masjid-e-Quba in Shamshatoo village located close to the sprawling Shamshatoo Camp for Afghan refugees. A huge number of Afghan refugees living in the refugee camps and other parts of the district gathered there to offer the Eid prayers.

Eid prayers were also offered in other areas of the city. In the past, one of the biggest gatherings of Afghan refugees used to offer Eid prayers at the Katcha Garhi camp in Peshawar, but the uncertain situation facing the refugees and the repatriation of a growing number of Afghans to their homeland has affected some of their normal activities.

After the Eid prayers, the faithful sacrificed animals to perform the Sunnat-e-Ibrahim (AS).

Some Afghan refugees didn’t celebrate Eidul Azha on Monday. One Rahman Niazi said he was living in Pakistan and, therefore, he and his family have been celebrating Eids along with fellow Pakistanis.

In parts of Mohmand Agency, Bajaur Agency and Charsadda district, many Pakistanis celebrated the Eidul Azha on Monday. In Mohmand Agency, Eid was celebrated in the agency headquarters Ghallanai, Pandyali, Anbar, Safi, Khwezai and Baizai areas. The members of the political administration in Mohmand Agency also celebrated the Eid on Monday.

In the adjoining Bajaur Agency, Eidul Azha was celebrated in Mamond and Nawagai tehsils.

The religious festival was also celebrated in Matta Mughalkhel, Mansooka and Munda areas in the Shabqadar tehsil of Charsadda district.

Normally, Eidul Azha is celebrated on the same day across the country. However, many people in Fata and KP are not happy with the stubborn attitude of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal committee, especially its head Mufti Munibur Rahman, for observing the two Eids and Ramazan a day later than the rest of the Islamic world.