The High Court (HC) on Tuesday questioned how common people will perform hajj at the cost of the package set by the government.
It questioned: “Why doesn't the government allocate budgets for the hajj like other countries in the world?”
The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali came up with this observation while hearing a writ petition over revising the hajj package offered by the government this year.
The court set Wednesday for further hearing.
Supreme Court lawyer Ashraf-uz-Zaman was present in the hearing on behalf of the writ petitioner.
Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar and Assistant Attorney General Md Awlad Hossain represented the state at the hearing.
The High Court ordered DAG Bashar to inform the court about the latest update on revising the hajj package ahead of Wednesday’s hearing.
Read more: Govt raises hajj cost by Tk 1.61 lakh this year
Earlier on February 1, the Ministry of Religious Affairs announced the hajj package for 2023 in a memorandum. According to the package, a person has to pay a hefty amount of Tk 6.83 lakh to perform hajj this year - up from Tk 5.22 lakh in 2022.
In response, Ashraf-uz-Zaman sent a legal notice to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, requesting it to reduce the cost of hajj pilgrims and bring it under Tk 4 lakh
Later, he filed a writ on March 12 as the concerned authority failed to respond to the legal notice.
Contacted, Lawyer Ashraf Uz Zaman said: “Currently, the plane fare on the Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia-Bangladesh route is Tk 76,000 to Tk 1,10,000. Every year, the governments of both countries force hajj pilgrims to buy tickets for Saudia Airlines and Biman Bangladesh Airlines which destroys the hajj pilgrims’ capacity to choose for themselves.”
“The legal notice was sent requesting the authorities to amend and reduce the price of the hajj package for 2023, citing various factors.”
Hajj-2023 will be held on 9th day of Zilhaj (June 28) depending on moon sighting.
This year, over 127,000 Bangladeshis will get the chance to perform hajj, more than double the number last year.
Only 60,000 people from Bangladesh were allowed to perform hajj in 2022 as the Saudi government only partially opened up in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the first year since the pandemic that the hajj is expected to be held with no restrictions on attendance.
Read more: HAAB announces private hajj package: Minimum cost set at Tk 6.72 lakh