Srinagar, Feb. 24 -- After last year's controversy over the sighting of the new moon, the Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir has announced the formation of an advisory committee of top religious scholars to validate the moon sighting claims for the holy month of Ramazan and Eid- ul- Fitr.

The advisory committee will be headed by Grand Mufti, Nasir ul Islam, and Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq will be one among the ten members.

Last year, a major confusion prevailed in the Valley after an announcement was made by Kashmir's Grand Mufti that the Ramazan moon was not sighted anywhere in Kashmir. However, the majority of the people in Kashmir followed the decision of the Ruet-e-Hilal (moon-sighting committee) of Pakistan to keep fas...