PESHAWAR: Northwestern areas of Pakistan will start observing Ramadan along with Saudi Arabia, despite the Pakistani government’s decision to commence fasting on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court announced on Thursday that Ramadan this year will start on Friday.
“After evaluating moon-sighting witnesses, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced first Ramadan will be observed tomorrow (Friday). God willing, tomorrow will be the first Ramadan. I congratulate you all on this sacred month,” Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai of Masjid Qasim Ali Khan’s moon-sighting committee in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, announced on Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, the body which announces the sighting of the new moon, decided that Ramadan in the country would begin on Saturday. After the committee’s meeting on Thursday, the Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a circular enforcing the decision.
It is a long-held tradition in Pakistan’s northwestern areas to follow Saudi Arabia with regard to the timing of fasting and Eid celebrations.
“People mostly follow Saudi Arabia to start Ramadan or observe Eid because the kingdom is known as the citadel of Islam,” Atif Wazir, a university student from North Waziristan, told Arab News.
He said people have already bought and prepared foods for suhoor, the predawn meal, and iftar, or fast-breaking meal, that is eaten every night after sunset.
Muhammad Hassan, a tribal elder from South Waziristan, said that villagers in the district were preparing to offer Tarawih prayers on Thursday.
Khan Muhammad, an Afghan refugee in Kohat district, told Arab News that other refugee families living on the outskirts of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were also starting to observe their fast tomorrow.
“Our people will fast from Friday. We normally follow the Kingdom to start fasting because we have always had controversies over moon-sighting in Pakistan,” he said.
Muslims around the world use a lunar calendar to determine the dates of religious events and observances. As a result, Ramadan dates vary in different countries, usually by a day or two.
Pakistan’s northwestern areas start Ramadan with Saudi Arabia
https://arab.news/9ty3x
Pakistan’s northwestern areas start Ramadan with Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court announced that Ramadan this year will start on Friday
- It is a long-held tradition in Pakistan’s tribal districts to follow Saudi Arabia’s Ramadan and Eid timings
Pakistan, ADB sign $730 loan agreements to boost SOE reforms, energy infrastructure
- Both sign $330 million Power Transmission Strengthening Project and $400 million SOE Transformation Program loan agreements
- Economic Affairs Division official says Transmission Project will secure Pakistan’s energy future by strengthening national grid’s backbone
KARACHI: Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday signed two loan agreements totaling $730 million to boost reforms in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and energy infrastructure in the country, the bank said.
The first of the two agreements pertains to the SOE Transformation Program worth $400 million while the second loan, worth $330 million, is for a Power Transmission Strengthening Project, the lender said.
The agreements were signed by ADB Country Director for Pakistan Emma Fan and Pakistan’s Secretary of Economic Affairs Division Humair Karim.
“The agreements demonstrate ADB’s enduring commitment to supporting sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Pakistan,” the ADB said.
Pakistan’s SOEs have incurred losses worth billions of dollars over the years due to financial mismanagement and corruption. These entities, including the country’s national airline Pakistan International Airlines, which was sold to a private group this week, have relied on subsequent government bailouts over the years to operate.
The ADB approved the $400 million loan for SOE reforms on Dec. 12. It said the program seeks to improve governance and optimize the performance of Pakistan’s commercial SOEs.
Karim highlighted that the Power Transmission Strengthening Project will enable reliable evacuation of 2,300 MW from Pakistan’s upcoming hydropower projects, relieve overloading of existing transmission lines and enhance resilience under contingency conditions, the Press Information Department (PID) said.
“The Secretary emphasized that both initiatives are transformative in nature as the Transmission Project will secure Pakistan’s energy future by strengthening the backbone of the national grid whereas the SOE Program will enhance transparency, efficiency and sustainability of state-owned enterprises nationwide,” the PID said.
The ADB has supported reforms by Pakistan to strengthen its public finance and social protection systems. It has also undertaken programs in the country to help with post-flood reconstruction, improve food security and social and human capital.
To date, ADB says it has committed 764 public sector loans, grants and technical assistance totaling $43.4 billion to Pakistan.
