Federal Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said Eidul Fitr will be celebrated in Pakistan on Sunday (May 24), as he cited the calculations made by his ministry.

Although he criticised Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai for announcing Eid separately every year, Fawad and the Peshawar-based cleric are on the same page at least on this occasion, as Popalzai had already announced celebrating Eid on Sunday.

Fawad had earlier claimed that the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee led by Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman wanted Eid on Monday.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday, the federal minister said the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee had always been involved in disputes, adding that the religious festivals shouldn’t be made controversial.

It is a very unfortunate thing that dispute is created on the occasion of even a religious festival, he remarked and added that the Shawal moon-sighting became disputed every year.

Fawad said moon-sighting wasn’t a problem in the modern era, adding that the people would celebrate Eid on the Moon in the future.

The press conference was on the very day the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is meeting to sight the Shawal moon.

The latest statement came as the Ministry of Religious Affairs has barred the Pakistan Metrological Department from making any prediction about Eid-ul-Fitr, advising it to assist the official committee in the process.

Earlier on Friday,Mufti Popalzai of Peshawar's Qasim Ali Khan Mosque announced that the Shawal moon was not sighted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and they will celebrate Eidon Sunday.

Last month, Popalzai had once again divided the nation by declaring that the holy month of Ramazan would start a day earlier than it was announced by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.