All deals with Hajj companies must be signed by Feb 14 - Adviser

Dr. AFM Khalid Hussain, Adviser for Religious Affairs._11zon

Dhaka, February 10: Religious Affairs Adviser Dr. AFM Khalid Hossain said that all agreements with Hajj service companies must be signed by February 14. The Saudi government will not extend this period of the agreement. If a registered person from Bangladesh cannot perform Hajj due to the negligence of the agency, the agency concerned will have to take responsibility.

The adviser said this at a press briefing organized by the Ministry of Religious Affairs today on the latest progress of Hajj management in 2025 at the conference room of the ministry.

The adviser said that according to the Hajj and Umrah Regulations 2022, there is a 12-member committee headed by the Religious Secretary to rent houses for Hajj pilgrims under government management. This year, two representatives of the Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and two representatives of the Jeddah Consulate were co-opted in this committee. This committee has rented the best houses after thoroughly analyzing the quotations received for house rental, including the quality of the houses, ancillary facilities, distance from Haram Sharif, services promised in the Hajj package and allocation for house rental.

The religious advisor also said that this year, houses have been rented within a maximum of 1.6 kilometers from the outer perimeter of Haram Sharif in Makkah for pilgrims registered under General Hajj Package-1 through the government. For this, the house rental and transportation service funds of this package have been adjusted. On the other hand, the maximum distance of all the hotels rented in Makkah for pilgrims of General Hajj Package-2 will be 1.2 kilometers. In addition, hotels have been rented within a maximum of one kilometer for pilgrims of Hajj Package-1 in Madinah and within 300-600 meters for pilgrims of Hajj Package-2.

Dr. Khalid said that the pilgrims of Hajj Package-1 will stay in the tents of Zone-5 in Mina and the pilgrims of Hajj Package-2 will stay in the tents of Zone-2 in Mina. He also said that in the light of past experience, agreements have been concluded with trusted Hajj service companies. He expressed hope that this year, the pilgrims will receive satisfactory services through the government. He also said that the matter of concluding the agreement with the Hajj service company by February 14 was informed by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on October 23 last year.

Later, we were informed about this matter several times through letters And accordingly, the Ministry of Religion has informed the relevant agencies.

He requested all Hajj agencies to conclude all types of agreements with the Hajj service companies by February 14, as per the deadline set by the Saudi government.

At this time, Secretary of Religion AKM Aftab Hossain Pramanik, Additional Secretary of the Hajj Division Md. Matiul Islam, Joint Secretary Dr. Md. Manjurul Haque, Advisor's Private Secretary Sadek Ahmed and senior officials of the ministry were present. – PID Handout