Allegation of human trafficking in the name of hajj, Umrah

Govt decides to take action against 104 agencies

Accused agencies include those owned by HAAB?President Ibrahim Bahar, General Secretary Sheikh Md Abdullah, ATAB?President Manzur Mahbub Morshed

The government is going to take action against 104 Hajj and Umrah agencies which are allegedly involved in human trafficking in the name of sending people to Saudi Arabia on the pretext of Hajj or Umrah.The decision comes in the wake of Saudi pressure for taking action against the agencies, which include firms owned by the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) President Ibrahim Bahar and General Secretary Sheikh Md Abdullah, President of Association of Travel Agencies of Bangladesh (ATAB) Manzur Mahbub Morshed and other HAAB and ATAB leaders. An inter-ministerial committee formed to probe into the allegation against the 104 agencies took the decision at a meeting yesterday. “We have decided to summon 52 agencies on September 1 and remaining agencies on September 3 before the probe committee. We will take legal action against the agencies which will fail to prove that people sent to perform Hajj or Umrah by them have returned to the country,” Religious Affairs Ministry’s Additional Secretary Mohammad Shahiduzzaman, who heads the five-member committee, told The Independent after the meeting at the secretariat yesterday. The Saudi authorities handed the list of the 104 agencies to the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyad earlier this year, saying that 11,485 people, who went to the country for performing Hajj and Umrah through these agencies last year, were yet to return to Bangladesh. The Independent obtained a copy of the list. The Saudi government also gave the list of corrupt agencies to State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam, during his recent visit to the KSA to resolve the issue. However, both the religious affairs secretary and HAAB president denied that the Saudi authorities have handed such an list to the Bangladesh authorities.   In March this year, the Saudi government also imposed restriction on issuing Umrah visas to Bangladeshis, and warned that they would stop issuing Umrah visas to Bangladeshis permanently if action is not taken against the corrupt agencies, sources at the ministry said. Saudi Arabia had agreed to withdraw the restriction during the meeting with the state minister, but wanted assurance from the Bangladesh government of stern action against the corrupt agencies. Several high-level meetings have taken place between the two countries to resolve the problem arising due to the restriction, but the Saudi authorities are yet to change their decision. Instead, they pressed the Bangladeshi authorities for taking action against the agencies. Though the ministry concerned was asked by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to form a committee comprising members from religious, home, and foreign affairs ministries to probe the issue, Chowdhury Babul Hassan, Secretary to Religious Affairs Ministry, formed a single-member committee led by himself without the consent of the Religious Affairs minister. This committee served show-cause notices to the accused agencies two months ago.

However, the probe report is yet to be prepared and submitted to the minister or to the PMO or the parliamentary standing committees on religious affairs and civil aviation ministries. Despite repeated reminders from the standing committee of the religious affairs ministry, the secretary is yet to send the report or the list of the accused agencies to the committee. He also ignored several reminders.
When asked about the reasons for ignoring the committee’s reminders, Hassan told The Independent, “We have completed the investigation recently. We are preparing the report and it will be sent to the departments or ministries concerned as soon as it’s completed.” When his attention was drawn to the fact that the list of accused agencies has not been sent to the parliamentary standing committees, he said, “The ministry is yet to get the list of accused agencies from the Hajj Ministry of Saudi Arabia despite repeated requests.”
Replying to another query, he said, “We have investigated the allegations against Hajj and Umrah agencies by collecting their names from different sources. We are still waiting to get the official list from the Saudi Arabian authorities. It would be sent when we get it,” he added.
However, some officials of the ministry and agency owners claimed that the religious affairs secretary, who will start his post-retirement leave (PRL) in two months, is deliberately damaging the image of the country by not taking action against the agencies.
Bangladesh might lose the upcoming Umrah season if the government fails to take action, they said.
Meanwhile, despite having the name of his agency on the list, HAAB President, Ibrahim Bahar, told The Independent that no pilgrim, who went through his agency, has overstayed after Umrah or Hajj.
He claimed that a section of Hajj agency owners are trying to mislead the media and the government by giving wrong information. “The Saudi government is yet to send such a list. The HAAB will accept the punishment after proper investigation even against me,” Bahar said. When contacted ATAB’s President, SN Manzur Murshed Mahbub, owner of Sureswar Travels and ATAB’s Chittagong Zonal Committee’s Chairman, Mohammad Abu Zafor, who is the owner of Concord International, categorically denied their involvement in the human trafficking racket under the pretext of Umrah.
According to the Saudi list, a total of 11,485 ‘no return’ pilgrims who went through 104 Hajj and Umrah agencies have been reported by the Saudi Authorities. According to the break up HAAB President, Ibrahim Bahar’s Megatop Travel’s, 67, General Secretary Sheikh Md. Abdullah’s, Shanjori Travel’s 65, Senior Vice-President Helal Uddin’s Muna Travels and Tours, 218, Vice-President Farid Ahmed Majumder’s, Golden Bengal Travels and Tours, 451, Vice-President Aftab Ahmed Chowdhury’s, Aftab Travels and Tours, 243, EC member Abdul Matin’s Maruf Travels, 508, Treasurer Mozammel Hossain Kamal’s Hashim Overseas, 94, EC member Khadem Dulal’s Khadem Air Services 94, HAAB Election Commission member Pear Mohammad’s Royal Air Services, 78, leader Farid Ahmed’s United Air Travels 245, HAAB Chittagong President Abul Kashem’s Royal Air Services 205, Chittagong’s leader Abdul Khaleq’s Three Star Travels, 240, EC member Abu Bakar Siddik’s Al-Noor Travel Agents, 237, Chittagong EC member Abu Taher’s Eastern Travel’s, 219, leader Amanullah’s Fly Home Travels, 215, Sylhet zonal General Secretary Abdul Haque’s City Overseas 118, Ciittagong EC member Md. Ilias’s Golden Bengal Tours and Travels 106, HAAB leader Mahbub Mannan’s Times Aviations 76, EC member Md. Zakaria’s 75, EC member Fajlur Rahman’s Madina Air Travels 63 and EC member Khaled Iqbal’s Meridian Air, 57, did not return after performing Umrah.
ATAB’s President Mahbub Murshed’s Sureswar Travels 74, ATAB’s Chittagong zonal committee Chairman Abu Zafor’s Concord International, 314, General Secretary Shah Alam’s Gulf Travels 141, EC member Kazi Sumon’s Sharif Air 58 and EC member Nurul Amin’s Jubilee Air 47 too haven’t returned to the country.
Among the general agencies, Gemini Travel’s, 940, Sabuj Bangla International’s 721, Alight Travels, 405, Rabbani Travels 333, MMR Aviation, 275, Rawshan Travels International, 259, Al-Sobhani International, 253, Masud Travels and Tours, 225, Anjan Air Travel, 209, Oasis Air Service, 202, Labbaik Overseas, 201, Avia Overseas, 199, Evergreen Travels, 196, Air Express International, 195, KSP Travel, 182, Bangladesh Overseas Service, 179, ICO International, 149, Wings Travel, 148, City Neon Travel, 144, Admire Air Service, 136, MP Travels, 135, Topcon Overseas, 128, Lord Travels, 77, Lucky Overseas, 76, Bengal Trade and Tourism, 75, Easy Way Travels, 72, Comilla Travels, 68, Mollik Travels, 64, Razan Overseas, 64, Atlantic Travels, 63, Purple Aviations, 62, Saad Air, 61, Farhan Aviation, 60, Star Holidays 38 and Rajshahi Travels, 37 are also on the list.

 

Allegation of human trafficking in the name of hajj, Umrah

Govt decides to take action against 104 agencies

Accused agencies include those owned by HAAB?President Ibrahim Bahar, General Secretary Sheikh Md Abdullah, ATAB?President Manzur Mahbub Morshed

The government is going to take action against 104 Hajj and Umrah agencies which are allegedly involved in human trafficking in the name of sending people to Saudi Arabia on the pretext of Hajj or Umrah.The decision comes in the wake of Saudi pressure for taking action against the agencies, which include firms owned by the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) President Ibrahim Bahar and General Secretary Sheikh Md Abdullah, President of Association of Travel Agencies of Bangladesh (ATAB) Manzur Mahbub Morshed and other HAAB and ATAB leaders. An inter-ministerial committee formed to probe into the allegation against the 104 agencies took the decision at a meeting yesterday. We have decided to summon 52 agencies on September 1 and remaining agencies on September 3 before the probe committee. We will take legal action against the agencies which will fail to prove that people sent to perform Hajj or Umrah by them have returned to the country, Religious Affairs Ministrys Additional Secretary Mohammad Shahiduzzaman, who heads the five-member committee, told The Independent after the meeting at the secretariat yesterday. The Saudi authorities handed the list of the 104 agencies to the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyad earlier this year, saying that 11,485 people, who went to the country for performing Hajj and Umrah through these agencies last year, were yet to return to Bangladesh. The Independent obtained a copy of the list. The Saudi government also gave the list of corrupt agencies to State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam, during his recent visit to the KSA to resolve the issue. However, both the religious affairs secretary and HAAB president denied that the Saudi authorities have handed such an list to the Bangladesh authorities. In March this year, the Saudi government also imposed restriction on issuing Umrah visas to Bangladeshis, and warned that they would stop issuing Umrah visas to Bangladeshis permanently if action is not taken against the corrupt agencies, sources at the ministry said. Saudi Arabia had agreed to withdraw the restriction during the meeting with the state minister, but wanted assurance from the Bangladesh government of stern action against the corrupt agencies. Several high-level meetings have taken place between the two countries to resolve the problem arising due to the restriction, but the Saudi authorities are yet to change their decision. Instead, they pressed the Bangladeshi authorities for taking action against the agencies. Though the ministry concerned was asked by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) to form a committee comprising members from religious, home, and foreign affairs ministries to probe the issue, Chowdhury Babul Hassan, Secretary to Religious Affairs Ministry, formed a single-member committee led by himself without the consent of the Religious Affairs minister. This committee served show-cause notices to the accused agencies two months ago. However, the probe report is yet to be prepared and submitted to the minister or to the PMO or the parliamentary standing committees on religious affairs and civil aviation ministries. Despite repeated reminders from the standing committee of the religious affairs ministry, the secretary is yet to send the report or the list of the accused agencies to the committee. He also ignored several reminders. When asked about the reasons for ignoring the committees reminders, Hassan told The Independent, We have completed the investigation recently. We are preparing the report and it will be sent to the departments or ministries concerned as soon as its completed. When his attention was drawn to the fact that the list of accused agencies has not been sent to the parliamentary standing committees, he said, The ministry is yet to get the list of accused agencies from the Hajj Ministry of Saudi Arabia despite repeated requests. Replying to another query, he said, We have investigated the allegations against Hajj and Umrah agencies by collecting their names from different sources. We are still waiting to get the official list from the Saudi Arabian authorities. It would be sent when we get it, he added. However, some officials of the ministry and agency owners claimed that the religious affairs secretary, who will start his post-retirement leave (PRL) in two months, is deliberately damaging the image of the country by not taking action against the agencies. Bangladesh might lose the upcoming Umrah season if the government fails to take action, they said. Meanwhile, despite having the name of his agency on the list, HAAB President, Ibrahim Bahar, told The Independent that no pilgrim, who went through his agency, has overstayed after Umrah or Hajj. He claimed that a section of Hajj agency owners are trying to mislead the media and the government by giving wrong information. The Saudi government is yet to send such a list. The HAAB will accept the punishment after proper investigation even against me, Bahar said. When contacted ATABs President, SN Manzur Murshed Mahbub, owner of Sureswar Travels and ATABs Chittagong Zonal Committees Chairman, Mohammad Abu Zafor, who is the owner of Concord International, categorically denied their involvement in the human trafficking racket under the pretext of Umrah. According to the Saudi list, a total of 11,485 no return pilgrims who went through 104 Hajj and Umrah agencies have been reported by the Saudi Authorities. According to the break up HAAB President, Ibrahim Bahars Megatop Travels, 67, General Secretary Sheikh Md. Abdullahs, Shanjori Travels 65, Senior Vice-President Helal Uddins Muna Travels and Tours, 218, Vice-President Farid Ahmed Majumders, Golden Bengal Travels and Tours, 451, Vice-President Aftab Ahmed Chowdhurys, Aftab Travels and Tours, 243, EC member Abdul Matins Maruf Travels, 508, Treasurer Mozammel Hossain Kamals Hashim Overseas, 94, EC member Khadem Dulals Khadem Air Services 94, HAAB Election Commission member Pear Mohammads Royal Air Services, 78, leader Farid Ahmeds United Air Travels 245, HAAB Chittagong President Abul Kashems Royal Air Services 205, Chittagongs leader Abdul Khaleqs Three Star Travels, 240, EC member Abu Bakar Siddiks Al-Noor Travel Agents, 237, Chittagong EC member Abu Tahers Eastern Travels, 219, leader Amanullahs Fly Home Travels, 215, Sylhet zonal General Secretary Abdul Haques City Overseas 118, Ciittagong EC member Md. Iliass Golden Bengal Tours and Travels 106, HAAB leader Mahbub Mannans Times Aviations 76, EC member Md. Zakarias 75, EC member Fajlur Rahmans Madina Air Travels 63 and EC member Khaled Iqbals Meridian Air, 57, did not return after performing Umrah. ATABs President Mahbub Mursheds Sureswar Travels 74, ATABs Chittagong zonal committee Chairman Abu Zafors Concord International, 314, General Secretary Shah Alams Gulf Travels 141, EC member Kazi Sumons Sharif Air 58 and EC member Nurul Amins Jubilee Air 47 too havent returned to the country. Among the general agencies, Gemini Travels, 940, Sabuj Bangla Internationals 721, Alight Travels, 405, Rabbani Travels 333, MMR Aviation, 275, Rawshan Travels International, 259, Al-Sobhani International, 253, Masud Travels and Tours, 225, Anjan Air Travel, 209, Oasis Air Service, 202, Labbaik Overseas, 201, Avia Overseas, 199, Evergreen Travels, 196, Air Express International, 195, KSP Travel, 182, Bangladesh Overseas Service, 179, ICO International, 149, Wings Travel, 148, City Neon Travel, 144, Admire Air Service, 136, MP Travels, 135, Topcon Overseas, 128, Lord Travels, 77, Lucky Overseas, 76, Bengal Trade and Tourism, 75, Easy Way Travels, 72, Comilla Travels, 68, Mollik Travels, 64, Razan Overseas, 64, Atlantic Travels, 63, Purple Aviations, 62, Saad Air, 61, Farhan Aviation, 60, Star Holidays 38 and Rajshahi Travels, 37 are also on the list.