Sehr and Iftar Timings

I was just wondering as to who forecasts and tabulates the Sehr and Iftar timings with that precision for each day of the month and for all major and minor cities of Pakistan that are printed on various calendars, newspapers and magazines in advance by a few days before the start of Ramazan?  Not only that but throughout the year the precise timings for the five prayers are also forecast in the same manner and are adhered to by the mosques of all cities and towns of Pakistan. Who does that?  Central and Zonal Ruet e Hilal Committees? Some local religious committee or authority of each town and city? Or the Metrological offices – Central, Provincial and Regional?  I am not very sure if our clergy is equipped or trained to infer and determine such precise timings, so in all probability it is the metrological offices who do that. Now if the Taloo, Zawal, Gharoob etc. are determined by the metrologists using scientific and modern gadgets and computers inste! ad of the clergy erecting straight wooden stick and measuring the lengths of its shadows and the Muezzin calling the faithful to the prayers by the clock for the time as given to him by the Met department, then why can’t we also depend upon the Met Office for its declaration whether a new moon has appeared or not?   Yes, I know of Shahadah – the eye witnesses, but then they used to measure the shadow of the erected stick to determine the time for Zuhr and Asr !!  Do we do that now?  Why do we go by the chronometer (watch) now?  I think it was time that we kept pace with Al-asr.   

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)