The National Assembly passed the Pakistan Ruet-e-Hilal Bill 2022, which seeks to reconstitute the body, to end the seasonal disputes over the sighting of the crescent. The bill also fines those who report the moon’s sighting before the official announcement.
The Federal Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, which will be constituted of 15 federal committee members, will be established under the bill. Each of the four provinces will send two ulemas to the panel, along with one representative from Islamabad, one from Gilgit-Baltistan, and one from Azad Kashmir. Additionally, representatives from the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), and the ministries of science, technology, and religious affairs will be present. A portion of this corps will consist of officers in grade 20.
The bill stipulates that in addition to a Shahadatul Almiya degree that has been authorized by the HEC, ulema who wish to serve on the committee must also possess a master’s degree in Islamiat and 15 years of experience. The bill specified that the federal body’s duration would be three years while outlawing all unofficial committees. The committee’s chairperson, who will be chosen by rotation from the provinces and the federation, will make the call on moon sighting. In contrast to individuals who fabricate evidence of moon sightings, who will be sentenced to three years in prison and a punishment of Rs50,000, those who violate the law would be fined Rs500,000.
Any TV broadcaster that reports the moon sighting before the federal committee makes its formal announcement would be fined one million rupees or have its license revoked, which is a criminal offense that cannot be compounded or subject to bail. In addition to the federal committee, the measure calls for the formation of provincial and district committees as well. The district committees, which will include scholars from all schools of thought, will have six members and be made up of 13 members on the province Ruet e Hilal Committee, seven on the committee based in Islamabad, and six members on each committee in each district.
The bill stipulates that members of the district committees must have a master’s degree in Islamiat and one year of experience practicing Sharia, but members of the Islamabad and provincial committees must have a master’s degree in Islamiat and ten years of experience practicing Sharia. Now, a Senate motion to approve the law will be made. The country’s food deficit was previously brought to everyone’s attention by MNA Aliya Kamran.
Tariq Bashir Cheema, the minister in charge of national food security, responded that he disagreed with the study that had been made available on the subject and denied any notion that there was a problem with food security in the nation. Adding that there won’t be a need to import the product the next year, he claimed that the nation’s wheat production was at an all-time high this year. Additionally, he pointed out that cotton and rice production went overboard the previous year. A later adjournment date of June 9 was set for the National Assembly session.
