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Eid-ul-Fitr

today

ISLAMABAD: Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated throughout the country and Azad Kashmir on Sunday with joy and religious fervour, marking the culmination of the holy month of Ramazan.

Eid-ul-Fitr is an occasion for the highest gratitude and thanksgiving to Almighty Allah that His endless blessings have, once again, brought the Faithful today to celebrate the festival.

Eid is a day of delight for both the rich and poor. The rich people, apart from thanks giving for Allah had granted them, should include and share the poor in their jubilations.

It is also their moral and religious duty to look after the deprived and poor people of the country, especially on the ocassion of Eid.

The Faithful will offer Eid prayers at mosques, Eidgahs, and open places throughout the country and Azad Kashmir.

They will pray to Almighty Allah for the prosperity of the country, unity of the Ummah, solution of their problems and liberation of Muslim territories including occupied Kashmir and Palestine.

In the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the Eid congregations will be held at more than 300 places.

In Islamabad, the biggest congregation will be held at grant Faisal Mosque at 8:10 a.m. where President Rafiq Tarar will offer Eid prayers. Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf is likely to offer Eid prayers in Rawalpindi.

In Rawalpindi the biggest Eid congregation will be held at the historic Liaquat Bagh.

The government has announced Eid holidays from January 8 to 10 and paid advanced salaries to its employees for enabling them to meet the Eid expenses. The PTCL has also offered a package of reduced tariff rates on Eid days to encourage people to exchange Eid greetings.

The Eid shopping reached its peak on Chand Raat, (moon-sighting night) with glittering shopping centres offering whatever they had been left in their stocks. A great rush was seen at bangle stores and stalls, while the Eid card sellers had offered throw-away prices to end their stocks.

The Radio and Television have chalked out a series of special programmes, on Eid days. The Federal Capital police have taken extraordinary precautions to prevent robberies during Eid holidays, when most of the houses in the federal capital are left locked and unguarded by the residents.ÑAPP