ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Tuesday has banned private committees from seeing the moon across the country.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry, briefing the media after the meeting of the federal cabinet, that was held with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair, said new legislation has been enacted regarding moon sighting under which the announcements made by the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (RUET) or the government itself will be considered final.
Chaudhry said that besides federal, provincial and district committees would also be formed for moon sighting.
He said that for the first time, Meteorological Department, SPARCO, Federal Ministry of Science
and Technology and Ministry of Religious Affairs have also been included in the committee.
According to the statement, the federal cabinet has approved in-principle laws regarding the sighting
of the crescent, including fines for giving unverified reports of sighting. It is to be noted that moon sighting in the country has saw controversies in the near past.
Fawad Chaudhry as minister for science and technology had issues with the RUET and its then chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman. Later he was replaced by the federal government.
Now the government has banned private moon sighting committee and the announcement of the central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will be considered as final across the country.
