The Hajj agencies have demanded a quota of the lowest 100 and highest 300 per agency as per the Hajj and Umrah Law, 2021 instead of a quota of 1,000, the government recently announced in accordance with the deal with the Saudi Arabian government.
They claimed that due to the government decision, the country's Hajj agencies and around 82,000 pilgrims have been in anxiety fearing mismanagement of Hajj this year, Dr Mohammad Faruk, founding president of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB), said at a press conference on Thursday held in Dhaka Reporters' Unity at Segunbagicha in Dhaka.
They threatened the government with abstention from the Hajj procedures, if the quota is not reduced.
Meanwhile, at a press conference held in the Religious Affairs Ministry at the Secretariat, Religious Affairs Adviser AKM Khalid Hossain said that the government has nothing to do in this regard.
"The Religious Affairs Ministry does not have the authority to determine the minimum number of Hajj pilgrims per agency. It is the discretion of the Saudi Arabian government," he said.
He also added, "The Saudi government has decided that a Hajj agency, which has pilgrims of 1,000 or more, would be able to send pilgrims directly. Otherwise, the Hajj agencies will have to select a lead agency and send pilgrims under their management."
The Adviser said, "We have sincerely tried to reduce the number of agencies during the discussion with the Saudi authorities considering the practical situation of the country's Hajj management. But, it should not be forgotten. We should keep the friendly relation between the two countries. We should consider the relation and the Hajj management should not fall under threat due to our stance."
"I would like to urge our Hajj agencies to select a lead agency within a day or two as per the directives of the government. It would be better for us," he urged.
The Adviser claimed that this year, the minimum quota for the agencies of India, Pakistan and Indonesia was set at 2,000 per agency.
On behalf of Hajj agency owners, Dr Faruk, under the banner of Sadharon Hajj Agencier Malikbrinda, said, "If it is needed to fulfill the quota of 1,000 pilgrims, it would be needed to bring some 15 to 20 agencies together under a lead agency. It is hard to ensure all facilities including accommodation, transportation and feeding arrangements at Makkah, Madina, Mina, Arafah, and Mujdalifah for 1,000 pilgrims of 15 to 20 agencies at a time. It may create trouble for the guests of Allah, the Almighty during Hajj."
