PESHAWAR - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Arbab Khizer Hayat has demanded that the Central Moon-sighting Committee should be disbanded and Mufti Munibur Rehman should be removed for his inability to ensure a unanimous Ramazan and Eid across the country.

“In order to settle the moon-sighting controversy once and for all, the government should follow Saudi Arabia in the matter of Ramazan and Eidul Fitr,” Khizer said in a statement issued here on Sunday.
The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee last Saturday night had refused to entertain testimonies from its own zonal branch for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa about moon sighting. “Mufti Munib should tell us why did his committee not entertain the moon-sighting testimonies from our province.
Are we less important Pakistanis? Are we lesser Muslims? Or is Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa not part of Pakistan?” Khizer questioned.
He said that it was unfortunate that “we, as a nation, have not been able to celebrate an important festival like Eid together”. He accused Mufti Munib of harbouring prejudice towards the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and blamed him for sowing discord in the nation.
Khizer also said the media-savvy Mufti Munib has been chairman of the Central Moon-sighting Committee for several years and did not allow anybody else to replace him.
“Over the years he has become autocratic.
He behaves like a dictator,” Khizer said, adding “Mufti Munib is creating schisms in the Pakistani nation,” he blamed.
Arbab Khizer said the only solution to this recurring controversy is to disband the central moon-sighting committee and sack Mufti Munib, and government should follow Saudi Arabia on moon-sighting, he added.