Hajj package inhumane : HC

Staff Reporter :
Expressing anger over the Hajj package announced by the government, the High Court termed it inhumane.
The High Court bench of Justice K M Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali passed the observation during the hearing on a writ petition that sought its directives for re-fixing the price of the Hajj package announced by the government.
The court said, “Not only the common people, we are also afraid to see the cost of the Hajj package that has been estimated.”
Addressing the Ministry of Religious Affairs the senior judge of the bench said, “So much cost! Those who are fit to perform Hajj cannot go to perform it due to this costing. An inhumane package has been announced. Those involved in the preparation of this package will be partakers of sin.” Ashraf-Uz-Zaman, a Supreme Court lawyer, on March 6 this year sent a legal notice asking the Ministry of Religious Affairs to reduce and re-fix in seven days the cost of the hajj package within Tk 4 lakh per pilgrim instead of Tk 6.83 lakh. Finally he filed a writ petition on March 12 as no response was found from the concerned bodies.
In the petition he sought HC directives upon the government bodies concerned to re-set the Hajj package reducing the cost. He also sought directives to allow the pilgrim to buy tickets of any airlines along with the Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudi Airlines to attend the Hajj.
Religious Affairs Secretary, Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary, Director General of Islamic Foundation and others have been made respondents in the petition.
The HC bench held hearing on the petition on Tuesday and later adjourned the hearing till Wednesday (March 15) 2.00 pm.
In the meantime the state lawyer has been asked to collect the information from the concerned official of the Ministry on what basis the price of Hajj package has been determined.
Lawyer Gazi Md Mohsin appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the petitioner, while Assistant Attorney General Mohammad Awlad Hossain represented the state.
According to the writ petition, the Ministry on February 2 this year announced the Hajj package, in which the Bangladesh government and Saudi Arabian government set Tk 6.83 lakh per pilgrim as the cost.
Most of the points of the circulated package are very unreasonable and beyond the reach of the common people, also read the petition.
Every year, both governments compel the pilgrims to purchase air tickets from Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudi Airlines to give illegal benefits to these airlines, the petitioner said.
The petitioner mentioned a few other points including house rent in Makkah and Medina, Zamzam water, visa fees and transportation, saying fees for those have been charged higher than the actual costs.