Daily Times

On Sunday, reports emerged that parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa celebrated Eidul Fitr – days ahead of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee’s expected moon-sighting announcement. Once again, it wasn’t politics or policy, but the moon that split the nation.

At the centre of it all is Peshawar’s Masjid Qasim Ali Khan, where Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai and his committee routinely announce moon sightings ahead of the central authority.

But this year hit differently. With the Awami National Party lending its official support to the early Eid, the episode took on an even more political tone. Add to that the Bohra community’s separate observance, and you’re reminded just how fragmented our idea of collective celebration really is.

It’s easy to dismiss this as just another administrative wrinkle or a quirk of religious interpretation. But for ordinary people, it’s disorienting. One cousin is sending Eid greetings while another is still fasting. Schools are unsure when to open. Mosques issue contradictory announcements. And for children especially, who wait all month for the magic of Eid morning, it’s confusing and anticlimactic.

Back in 2020, the government introduced a scientifically backed lunar calendar in hopes of putting this to rest. It was a promising step – but like so many initiatives in this country, it faded without implementation. Tradition still trumps technology. And worse, politics now trumps both.

Moon sighting shouldn’t be a competition. It’s not a province-by-province performance. It’s a moment meant to unify us after a month of shared sacrifice.

We can’t afford to let even Eid become a symbol of how divided we are. Pakistanis deserve a celebration that brings families and communities together; not one that leaves them arguing over prayer timings.

At the very least, the moon should be something we can agree on. *