President Abdul Hamid has said negligence, irregularities and corruption in hajj management must be dealt with an iron hand.
He made the statement while addressing a dinner event hosted for Hajj Ulema-Mashayekh team at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban on Saturday.
"Over 95% hajj pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia through hajj agencies. Past experiences show that many agencies do not live up to their promises of providing pilgrims with various facilities once they reach Makkah-Medina," he said.
As a result, the pilgrims have to face untold suffering, he added.
The president said when hajj pilgrims face any problem in Saudi Arabia, the government has to intervene in the matter.
"Such activities tarnish Bangladesh's image, and this kind of fraudulence with the pilgrims is not expected," he said.
The president, however, acknowledged huge contributions of private agencies to the hajj management.
Mentioning that the hajj management has, so far, performed smoothly this year, President Abdul Hamid expressed the hope that other hajj activities will be done evenly as well and urged all concerned to remain aware in this regard.
Pointing to the Hajj Ulema-Mashayekh team, he said: “The inclusion of Ulema- Mashayekh team in the hajj mission, for the first time, is undoubtedly a very important matter. It proves that the present government believes in upholding proper respect and dignity of Islam and its scholars.”
Abdul Hamid expressed his hope that hajj pilgrims will be able to perform hajj smoothly with their advice and guidance.
About pilgrims’ immigration, he said initially they had to wait in Jeddah to complete their immigration procedure.
“From now on, however, Bangladeshi pilgrims have been completing the immigration procedure at the Dhaka airport instead of Jeddah which has eased their suffering.”
Describing the pilgrims as goodwill ambassadors of Bangladesh, the president urged them to be cautious about their language and behaviour so that others do not get any negative message about Bangladesh.
This year, hajj flights started on July 4, and is set to continue till August 5.
A total of 127,198 pilgrims are scheduled to perform hajj from Bangladesh this year.
