Hekmatyar's Party Celebrates Eid In Pakistan, Defying Taliban

The Shahadat newspaper, the official publication of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hizbe Islami reported with images that the Eid prayer was held on Sunday, at the "Islamic Party Grand Mosque" in Pakistan.

The Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani government had declared Sunday as Arafah and Monday as Eid.

Shahadat posted a video on the social platform X, stating that "thousands" of people performed the Eid prayer at the Islamic Party Grand Mosque. The images show a large number of worshipers engaged in prayer.

The Shahadat newspaper did not mention the exact location of the prayer, but some sources indicated that the mosque is located in the Shamshato Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Unlike Saudi Arabia, the Taliban declared Sunday as Arafah and Monday as Eid. This decision has elicited numerous reactions from politicians and citizens on social networks.

The Taliban declared Monday as Eid, even though several senior officials of the group who are on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia celebrated Eid on Sunday. Some users have pointed out this "contradiction" in the Taliban's announcement of the Eid day.