Dr AFM Khalid Hossain, religious affairs adviser of the interim government, announced that arrangements are underway to enable Hajj pilgrims to travel to Saudi Arabia by ship, making the pilgrimage more affordable.
Speaking at a function at Jamiatual Sunnah Madrasa on Tuesday night, he highlighted that the government is revisiting historical methods of Hajj travel. The adviser said: "People used to travel by ships for Hajj before and after independence."
The adviser revealed that preliminary discussions with Saudi authorities have yielded positive responses regarding the proposal.
He said: "We have already talked to the owners of the shipping companies. We want to open a door so that the common people can perform Hajj in a cost-effective way."
Dr Khalid Hossain emphasized the Saudi government's commitment to cooperating with Hajj pilgrims and pointed out that current airfares with Biman Bangladesh Airlines are prohibitively high.
"We have also discussed it with Biman to reduce the fare, and we are hopeful that the Hajj packages would be cost-effective," he added.
