Hajj problems

We expect in the coming days Hajj passengers’ journey to Jeddah as well as their return flight to Dhaka would be smooth and free from worries

There is no end to the plights of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims. Every year, pilgrims suffer one problem or the other, the most common one being mismanagement by the various hajj agencies as well as our religious affairs ministry. This year also performance of Hajj by many Bangladeshi pilgrims has become uncertain as many scheduled Hajj flights have been cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Flights of those pilgrims who have got visas of Saudi government also belonged to this group of people.

Another problem has arisen from the decision of imposition of an additional fee of 2,000 Riyal—around Tk 40,000—by the Saudi government for the Hajj pilgrims who performed Hajj in 2015 and 2026. This decision of the Saudi government was announced suddenly when the Hajj pilgrims were all prepared to make their pilgrimage.

According to a report published in this newspaper, this extra charge has made uncertain pilgrimage of some 20,000 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims as it has created visa problems of Hajj passengers. Though the Bangladesh Embassy wrote to the Saudi Arabian Hajj ministry regarding the new fee on each pilgrim and was the Embassy supposed to sit with relevant Saudi officials, we are not sure the problem would be solved easily.

In that case, Bangladesh Embassy can very positively request the Saudi government to waiver the additional fee imposed so that the Hajj pilgrims do not face any problem on this. The Saudi officials should be reminded that many of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims accumulate money for years to perform Hajj, one of the holy rites of Islam. They sell their assets to make the financial arrangement for the pilgrimage taking it as their final aspiration of life.  

Now as this fee was imposed at the final stage of their trip, this has indeed created a great problem for pilgrims since they were not prepared for this. According to a report, about 44,000 out of 1,27,000 pilgrims have been granted visas to perform Hajj. It is expected that the religious affairs ministry of Bangladesh would make all necessary arrangements so that stranded Hajj passengers are rest assured that they would be able to make their pilgrimage without further problems. The ministry is urged to facilitate measures so that all applicants overcome their visa complications.

The Hajj flight has just begun. We expect in the coming days Hajj passengers’ journey to Jeddah as well as their return flight to Dhaka would be smooth and free from worries.   

 

Hajj problems

We expect in the coming days Hajj passengers journey to Jeddah as well as their return flight to Dhaka would be smooth and free from worries

There is no end to the plights of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims. Every year, pilgrims suffer one problem or the other, the most common one being mismanagement by the various hajj agencies as well as our religious affairs ministry. This year also performance of Hajj by many Bangladeshi pilgrims has become uncertain as many scheduled Hajj flights have been cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Flights of those pilgrims who have got visas of Saudi government also belonged to this group of people. Another problem has arisen from the decision of imposition of an additional fee of 2,000 Riyalaround Tk 40,000by the Saudi government for the Hajj pilgrims who performed Hajj in 2015 and 2026. This decision of the Saudi government was announced suddenly when the Hajj pilgrims were all prepared to make their pilgrimage. According to a report published in this newspaper, this extra charge has made uncertain pilgrimage of some 20,000 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims as it has created visa problems of Hajj passengers. Though the Bangladesh Embassy wrote to the Saudi Arabian Hajj ministry regarding the new fee on each pilgrim and was the Embassy supposed to sit with relevant Saudi officials, we are not sure the problem would be solved easily. In that case, Bangladesh Embassy can very positively request the Saudi government to waiver the additional fee imposed so that the Hajj pilgrims do not face any problem on this. The Saudi officials should be reminded that many of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims accumulate money for years to perform Hajj, one of the holy rites of Islam. They sell their assets to make the financial arrangement for the pilgrimage taking it as their final aspiration of life. Now as this fee was imposed at the final stage of their trip, this has indeed created a great problem for pilgrims since they were not prepared for this. According to a report, about 44,000 out of 1,27,000 pilgrims have been granted visas to perform Hajj. It is expected that the religious affairs ministry of Bangladesh would make all necessary arrangements so that stranded Hajj passengers are rest assured that they would be able to make their pilgrimage without further problems. The ministry is urged to facilitate measures so that all applicants overcome their visa complications. The Hajj flight has just begun. We expect in the coming days Hajj passengers journey to Jeddah as well as their return flight to Dhaka would be smooth and free from worries.