NAB, accountability process damaged on matter of chairman: Fawad

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Federal Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and accountability process damaged due to the matter of chairman. “No accountability process is being conducted according to our promises. Everyone knows about former president Asif Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s corruption,” the minister lamented. “It is unfortunate the way how Shehbaz Sharif left the country,” he added. Fawad Chaudhry created Pakistan’s first Islamic calendar. He presented the calendar and an online moon sighting portal. Through the online portal (which comprises both a website and mobile application), people will be able to see where the moon is over their territory. “By launching this calendar, we are eliminating the uncertainty that always prevailed in Pakistan around Eid,” he announced. He said that the creation of this calendar will not reduce the role of religious clerics. He also said that knowledge is important and there is nothing wrong with using that knowledge. Fawad Chaudhry told religious clerics to use the technology available to them for important issues like moon sighting. “If you’re so bent on using the naked eye to sight the moon, then glasses then become haram (forbidden) too. If using 50-year-old telescopes is halal and 100-year-old glasses is okay but using new technology is haram, then it doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Don’t worry, it won’t end your role,” he consoled religious clerics. It is pertinent to mention here that the five-year calendar has already set the dates for Eidul Fitr. According to it, this year’s Eid will be on June 5. The next four Eids are May 24, 2020, May 3, 2021, April 22, 2022 and April 10, 2023. The minister announced that application was prepared with input from experts of the Meteorological Department and SUPARCO and application will be available from Monday on the Google Play Store. Fawad Chaudhry explained that using the application, everyone will be able to see the moon on the app and where it is. “The moon’s location over eight strategic locations will be mapped on the application,” he said. “They have based their moon-sighting on three main principles — 6.8% altitude, luminosity of 0.8% and 38 minute difference between sunset and the moon’s visibility,” he added. He mentioned that the proposal has been sent to the Council of Islamic Ideology and will be presented before the federal cabinet on Tuesday. He also announced that August will be declared a science and technology month across Pakistan.