Eid moon spotted during Ramadan

Islamabad: Fresh controversy erupted in Pakistanon Fri, leaving the nation perplexed to see Shawwal moon in the afternoon while observing the last fast of Ramadan.

Eye witnesses Mohammad Hussain told Gulf News by phone, "Around 3pm we saw [the] crescent moon on the left side of sun and did not believe it at first but then neighbours and passerby too observed moon sighting."

Mohammad and his three dozen neighbours saw the Shawwal moon and immediately called the national TV stations to report.

Thursday sighting

However, most Pakistanis who believed in the official Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (Moon-sighting Committee) were observing fast while some parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan regions observed Eid after locals and imams recorded crescent moon sightings on Thursday night.

Fawad Rana, a young lecturer, while hitting at the Pakistani government and imams, said he was not happy over the way the Eid moon-sighting was announced.

Despite sighting moon with his eyes, Qasim Malek, a resident of I-10/3 sector, did not break his fast on Friday.

"This is for real that I see the Eid Al Fitr moon, but I don't know what law says for such a fix."

More Pakistanis who saw the hilal did not break their fast including the prime eye witness Mohammad Hussain and his family for the fear of committing sin.

Many eye witnesses, interviewed by Gulf News sought sacking of Mufti Munibur Rahman who heads the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee while demanding dissolution of the body.

"It's a scientific issue and we should rely on the Meteorological Department and credible independent moon-sighting evidence," says Dr Kamal Akhter, who lived all her life in the United States.

Munib had announced on Thursday that since no evidence about the sighting of Shawwal moon had been received from anywhere in the country and Eid would be observed on Saturday.

Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai in Peshawar had challenged this official announcement after a meeting at the Masjid Qasim. Ali Khan has claimed to have gathered 20 witnesses.