Pakistan prepares first lunar calendar, says Eid will be on June 5

LAHORE: Pakistan’s minister for science and technology Fawad Chaudhry launched the country’s first lunar calendar here on Sunday, announcing that Eid Al-Fitr, a Muslim festival marking the end of Ramadan, would be celebrated on June 5.
Chaudhry announced his decision to finalize a five-year lunar calendar to determine the dates of Islamic religious occasions on May 7.
In a video posted on Twitter, he noted that there was always a controversy on the moon ahead of Eid, Ramadan and Muharram, wondering: “When modern methods are available, and we can decide on a definite date, then the question is, why do we not use the modern technology?”
On Sunday, while launching the moonsighting website and lunar calendar, he said it was only for five years, though it was possible go beyond that.
“We have only confined ourselves to five years since technology is rapidly changing and we may want to review things a little,” he added.
Harshly criticized by religious clerics for initiating the project, the minister said Pakistan did not need a moonsighting committee, traditionally manned by Islamic scholars, in his opinion.
“One should never fear new forms of knowledge,” he continued, saying that clerics would adjust to contemporary realities and find new roles for themselves.
The ministry has already sent the calendar to the Islamic Ideology Council, a constitutional body that advises governments on religious matters, and will also share it with the federal cabinet on Wednesday.