Moon sighting: KP government puts its foot down

Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai of Peshawar's historic Masjid Qasim Khan is said to be away from the country for about a week. Chairman of Masjid Qasim Khan Committee Haji Aziz-ur-Rehman on Saturday claimed that the Auqaf Department had instructed him to close Masjid Qasim Khan.
However, Haji Aziz-ur-Rahman, said that Eid would be announced after testimonies were obtained. "If the mosque is shut down, then the meeting of Masjid Qasim Khan's Ruhat-e-Hilal committee would take place outside," he warned. Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Minister of Auqaf and Religious Affairs Habib-ur-Rahman said that a meeting on moon sighting should not be held on Saturday. "Only the central Ruhat-e-Hilal Committee can decide whether or not the moon has been sighted", he said.