Tag: Mufti Muneebur Rehman

  • Opposition parties criticise PTI govt over TLP protests

    Sunday’s clashes between the Punjab Police and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) workers led to reactions from various political parties as well as religious groups. Here is a recap:

    Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    Addressing the media on Sunday night,  Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that this situation should be resolved wisely. He said that if the TLP comes to Islamabad, the JUI-F will support them. He criticised the government for declaring TLP a terrorist party.

    Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

    Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari condemned the violence in Lahore and other parts of the country. He expressed grief over the loss of lives, including those of policemen and civilians, as the direct result of the PTI government’s inability to handle the situation peacefully.

    “The real fight is about fighting against the root of the festering problem, not in just responding to the symptoms. Why has the selected government not bothered to implement the National Action Plan, or even discuss arising challenges in parliament,” said Mr Bhutto. He pointed out that the tendency to foster and coddle pressure groups through instigating ethnic, religious and sectarian hatred had begun during Zia’s regime, to squeeze mainstream national political parties. He added that it was painfully clear that we have failed to understand that no one can consistently play with fire without getting burnt themselves.

    Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

    PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi strongly condemned the violence in Lahore. In a statement, Mr Abbasi said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) believes that “Namoos-e-Risalat (sanctity of prophethood) is the foundation of a Muslim’s ideology. No Muslim can compromise on it.” He criticised the government for its failure to establish peace in the country. “PDM stresses that peace and stability will only be established in Pakistan when it is run according to the Constitution and people’s wishes,” added Abbasi.

    Mufti Muneebur Rehman

    On Sunday night, former Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairperson Mufti Muneebur Rehman called for a countrywide strike the next day (Monday). Several otherst religious leaders have supported Mufti Muneeb’s strike call, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

    Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar:

    PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar called Maulana Fazl’s statement “irresponsible”. He said that it is not right to use what happened in Lahore for political point-scoring. Khokhar also said that Mufti Muneeb is also settling a score with the government after he was removed from his post as the chairperson of Ruet-e-Hilal Committee. Khokhar asked why the government had signed an illegal and unconstitutional agreement with the TLP back in November.

    Agreement signed between PTI govt and TLP in Nov 2020

    Sindh High Court Bar Association 

    The Sindh High Court Bar Association condemned the utter failure of the PTI government to peacefully resolve this crisis. “The government’s reaction has swung from willful blindness to disproportionate and lethal force.” It also condemned the “unconstitutional gagging of electronic media in relation to the protests”.

    Meanwhile, Geo News reported that  a delegation of ulema led by Sahibzada Hamid Raza met the banned TLP chief Saad Rizvi in jail on Monday and urged him to end the protests taking place in the country by releasing a video message.

  • Consensus on moon sighting? New Ruete Hilal Committee chief for joining forces with Fawad Ch

    Consensus on moon sighting? New Ruete Hilal Committee chief for joining forces with Fawad Ch

    In a first, the newly appointed chief of Ruete Hilal Committee, Maulana Abdul Khabir, has expressed his willingness to adopt scientific knowledge in moon-sighting “within the limits of Shariah”. 

    According to Dawn, Khabir made the remarks during a meeting with Federal Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry who had over the past year made headlines for his tussle with former committee chief Mufti Muneebur Rehman over the Islamic calendar and moon sighting.

    The meeting came after Fawad informed Khabir about setting up observatories in Islamabad for moon sighting. 

    “In this modern age, every problem has been solved with the help of scientific knowledge and only nations that use science are making progress. Islam and science are not contradictory but the importance of knowledge in Islam distinguishes it from other religions,” the publication quoted Fawad as saying.  

    The minister reportedly assured Khabir of full cooperation, adding that his office would support the committee to reach consensus with the help of science. 

    Earlier, Muneeb had opposed Fawad’s offer to use technology in moon sighting and expressed dismay over the minister developing a five-year lunar calendar containing all dates of Islamic events in Pakistan, including Ramzan, Eidul Fitr, Eidul Azha and Muharram. 

    The new chairperson, however, has expressed willingness to cooperate and even asked the federal minister to make every effort to take Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai on board to reach a nation-wide consensus on moon sighting. 

    Mufti Popalzai, of Peshawar’s Qasim Ali Khan mosque, had also opposed use of science and latest technologies. 

    Maulana Khabir has said he would also like to bring the committee on a visit to the ministry to brief them on the importance of scientific research and how it could benefit all, reports say.

  • Ruete Hilal Committee to be restructured, Mufti Muneeb likely to be replaced

    Ruete Hilal Committee to be restructured, Mufti Muneeb likely to be replaced

    The federal government has reportedly decided to restructure and empower the country’s premium moon-sighting body, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (RHC), by replacing its Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman and most of his peers.

    The RHC was established in 1974 under a resolution passed by the National Assembly (NA) but no rules and regulations for the functioning of the committee have been drafted to date.

    Reports by multiple media outlets quoted sources in the Ministry of Religious Affairs as saying that a summary has been prepared along with a new bill seeking to reconstitute the moon sighting body and its Terms of Reference (ToRs).

    The summary, along with the draft bill, has been sent to the Ministry of Law and Justice for further deliberations and legal opinions. Imprisonment of five years besides a fine of Rs50,000 to Rs200,000 has also been proposed in case of a parallel announcement in contradiction with the government committee.

    The draft mentioned that the incumbent chairman and members of the RHC would be replaced, while some existing and new religious scholars would be inducted in the committee.

    It may be noted that reshuffling in the committee is said to be occurring due to the differences in dates of moon-sighting following Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry’s criticism over old-fashioned and outdated moon-sighting techniques rather than relying upon the scientific technology.

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 30): ‘Sciencedaan Fawad Chaudhry’ to ‘Imran Khan k aglay 6 maah ki ahmeeyat’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 30): ‘Sciencedaan Fawad Chaudhry’ to ‘Imran Khan k aglay 6 maah ki ahmeeyat’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 30, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Sciencedaan Fawad Chaudhry’

    It was reported by Daily Jang that Ruete Hilal [Moon-Sighting] Committee Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman has said, “Fawad Chaudhry ko calendar banaa kr denay walay humaray members hain. Hum 25 saal se Ruet chalaa rahay hain, Fawad Chaudhary kahaan se sciencedaan aa gaye?”

    The statement comes days after yet another war of words erupted between the cleric and the science and technology minister over moon-sighting, this time for the Islamic month of Zil Hajj.

    ‘Tania Aidrus aur Zafar Mirza’

    According to Daily Jang, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said, “Wazire Azam shayad Zafar Mirza k kaam say mutmayin nahi thay. Dono isteefo’n ka dual nationality se koi taaluq nahi tha.”

    A day earlier, special assistant to the prime minister on health, Dr Zafar Mirza, and on digital Pakistan, Tania Aidrus, had announced having submitted their resignations, saying it was over criticism following the assets and dual nationality report of PM’s aides. Pundits had, however, hinted at possible trouble in Islamabad and said that there was more to the resignations.

    ‘Imran Khan k aglay 6 maah ki ahmeeyat’

    Senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir, in his column for Daily Jang, has said,“Imran Khan ne 2 saal tou jaisay taisay mukamal kr liye lekin Eid k bad inka asal imtehaan shuru honay wala hai. Agly 6 maah in k liye aham hain aur buhat mushkil bhi… yeh 6 maah nikal gaye to Imran Khan k liye paanch saal mukammal krna asaan hojayega.”

  • ‘Eid tomorrow,’ says Fawad ahead of moon-sighting committee’s meeting

    ‘Eid tomorrow,’ says Fawad ahead of moon-sighting committee’s meeting

    Ahead of the Ruete Hilal committee’s meeting scheduled for later today for moon sighting, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that the Shawwal moon could be sighted tonight.

    “The Shawwal moon was born on May 22 at 10:30 pm and will be visible between 7:36 pm and 8:15 pm tonight in Badin, Thatta and Pasni,” Chaudhry said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday, and also tweeted it.

    The minister said that according to the calendar prepared by his ministry, Eid will be celebrated on May 24 in many countries including Pakistan. He also shared the link to ‘The Ruet’ app on Twitter.

    Saturday will be the last day of Ramzan and Sunday is the first day of Eid in many countries.

    The government has earlier announced six Eid holidays from May 22 to 27 both of the public and private sectors. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior, Friday, May 22 to Wednesday, May 27, will be Eid holidays in the country.

    Meanwhile, addressing the presser, Fawad regretted that “there are always different announcements by the Reute Hilal Committee and Qasim Khan Mosque [of Peshawar, headed by Mufti Popalzai].”

    He also rejected the notion that there was no relation between the sighting of the moon according to Islamic practices and the use of technology in doing so.

    “Nowhere in the world is moon sighting an issue. With advances in technology it has become easier to sight the moon,” Fawad said.

  • Fawad Ch seeks abolition of Ruete Hilal Committee, again

    Fawad Ch seeks abolition of Ruete Hilal Committee, again

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has once again demanded the abolition of the Central Ruete Hilal [moon-sighting] Committee.

    Fawad, while criticising the committee, argued that there was no need for such a committee in the modern era.

    He also claimed that the committee, which is headed by Mufti Muneebur Rehman, wants Eid to fall on Monday, May 25 instead of Sunday, announcing to reveal motives of the committee behind such a move during a press conference.

    Last year, the minister had proposed that a scientific committee should replace the Central Ruete Hilal Committee for the sighting of the moon, which had led to the committee taking strong exception.

    Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman had asked Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to “rein in” his ministers after Fawad had accused clerics of making lunar sighting for Islamic months a controversial affair every year as well as opposing the creation of Pakistan.

    “Fawad Chaudhry’s statement against the opposition is his personal matter, but he should exercise restraint while commenting on religious scholars and not misquote history,” he said. “Who knows… one of them might also have a role in your [Fawad] appointment.”

    He had urged the premier to “control his passionate ministers”, who “lack knowledge about the system”.

  • VIDEO: ‘Hand govt over to Popalzai so Peshawar metro can be completed’, KP minister roasted

    VIDEO: ‘Hand govt over to Popalzai so Peshawar metro can be completed’, KP minister roasted

    Ruete Hilal Committee chief Mufti Muneebur Rehman has roasted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government for seeking Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai’s appointment in his place so as to “end the moon-sighting controversy”.

    Popalzai is an Islamic cleric and head of the private moon-sighting committee at the historic Qasim Ali Khan Mosque in Peshawar.

    With his announcement on Monday that the moon of Shawwal had been sighted in KP and Eidul Fitr will be celebrated on June 4, Provincial Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai suggested Popalzai’s appointment as the moon-sighting committee chairman, replacing Muneeb “to end the controversy”.

    “Eid is celebrated on one day all over Pakistan except a certain area of KP. We should stop this from happening. Mufti Popalzai has claimed to have sighted the moon and his claims have proven to be true a few times,” Yousafzai said.

    He added that Mufti Muneeb “should be rested for a while and Mufti Popalzai should be made the head of the moon-sighting committee”.

    Reacting to the statements, Mufti Muneeb said that Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai can’t be enrolled in the government, but the “government can be given under his control”.

    “Then everything that faces delay can be done beforehand. 24 hours before the deadline,” he said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “The Peshawar metro project undertaken by the KP government should be given under Poplazai’s supervision so that it can meet timely success,” he said with implied sarcasm.

    The federal government has already announced that according to the Met Office, the moon will be sighted in the country on Tuesday and eid will be celebrated on Wednesday (June 5).