- -First fast to be on April 25
ISLAMABAD-April 15: Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Wednesday that the Ramazan moon will be sighted on April 24 as per the lunar calendar, marking the first fast of the holy month of Ramazan on April 25.
Chaudhry, who had announced the same date for the first fast back in February as well, mentioned that there had been a plan to gather people for the moon sighting. However, it has been called off owing to the coronavirus pandemic, which health experts say can be prevented by avoiding public congregations.
“Mufti Muneeb-ur- Rahman is our elder and I respect him but he cannot even see such a big moon, how can he see the tiny coronavirus,” he said on Twitter.
“We have brought to the attention of Ministry of Religious Affairs [and Inter-faith Harmony] that if the head of your ministerial committee pokes fun at the government’s orders, what can you expect from others?
“As for Ramazan, the moon will be sighted on April 24 and the first roza [fast] will be on April 25. We had earlier planned to gather to see the moon but the corona [virus] has cancelled all congregations.
“God willing, if we get a chance next year, we will schedule chaandraat festivities,” the minister added.-Agencies
