Eid-ul-Azha to be celebrated on July 31, predicts Fawad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Monday predicted that Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated on July 31.

Taking to Twitter, the federal minister said that the moon for the Islamic month of Zil Hajj will be spotted in Karachi and surrounding areas on July 21.

He said that the moon could be sighted with the help of binoculars and in some areas as well as the naked eye. He added that the exact location of the moon can also be determined through the Ruet App developed by his ministry.

As per calender of @MinistryofST Eid-Al-Adha shall be celebrated on Fiday,31st July 2020. On 21st July ZeAlHaj moon shall be visible over Karachi and it’s peripheral areas, “Ruet”App may also be used to ascertain exact location of the moon. #Eid

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) June 15, 2020

The minister has been a vocal critic of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee and has advocated that the Ministry of Science and Technology should take a lead to end the controversy in the sighting of the moon.

Fawad clashed with the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairman Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman over the sighting of the moon on Eid-ul-Fitr.

He had said that two moon observatories will be set up by next year to resolve moon-sighting conflicts. The ministry has planned was to set up moon observatories in Islamabad and Gwadar where anyone would visit and spot the moon themselves.

“Given the debate we observed over moon this year, we intend to set up a moon observatory in Islamabad next year and we’re also trying to set one up in Gwadar too,” the federal minister said.

“The issue of moon-sighting will be permanently resolved after the moon observatories” are established, he had noted. “A common person will be able to go and see the moon and decide for themselves”.