TIMERGARA: Ulema, traders and community elders of Lower Dir on Wednesday agreed to celebrate Eidul Fitr on the same day.

The agreement was made during a joint meeting at Jamia Masjid of Ziarat Talash with religious scholar Qazi Abdul Salam in the chair.

Participants from different walks of life participated in the meeting to discuss the issue of Shawwal moon sighting.

Former emir of JUI-F Dir Lower Qazi Abdul Salam, Jamaat-i-Islami leader Qari Saeedullah, trader leader Haji Fazal Qadar, local elders Abbas Khan and Dr Noor Mohammad and others spoke on the occasion.

After a detailed discussion, the participants agreed that people of the district would not follow announcement of Peshawar`s Masjid Qasim Ali Khan on moon sighting and would celebrate Eidul Fitr on a single day either on sighting the moon or a day after the festival was marked inSaudi Arabia.

A committee led by Qazi Abdul Salam was also formed to decide about the matter.

The committee members will remain in close contact with the relevant officials tasked with announcing moon sighting or otherwise.

The participants agreed not to follow the regional or central ruet hilal committees and said they would decide the matter on their own.

PPP PROTEST: The Pakistan People`s Party Lower Dir on Wednesday announced the start of agitation across the province after Eidul Fitr against the arrest of former minister Mehmood Zeb Khan.

The former minister was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on corruption charge.

The announcement was made by the People`s Youth Organisation provincial general secretary Alam Zeb Utmani during a news conference here.

PPP activists including Jehan Bahadar, Rabat Sahibullah, Syed Haider Bacha, Siasat Hayat,Naveed Iqbal and Bakht Rehman were also present on the occasion.

The PPP leaders said certain quarters had been active to malign the PPP and defame it in the eyes of the people.

They said PPP leaders and former lawmakers were being punished for speaking the truth.

The PPP leaders said the NAB had been misusing powers against politicians and retired bureaucrats.

They said former provincial minister Mehmood Zeb Khan had been arrested on a false charge.

The PPP leaders demanded the Supreme Court to take note of the arrest and stop NAB from harassing politicians and honest bureaucrats.

They also demanded that the provincial government order the immediately release of MehmoodZeb.

The PPP leaders threatened to begin agitation after Eidul Fitr against the government and NAB.