Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain said Hajj pilgrims under Packages 1 and 2 for 2026 will receive refunds of more than Tk3 crore after the pilgrimage.
He made the remarks at a press briefing titled ‘One and a half years of the Ministry of Religious Affairs under the interim government’ held at the ministry’s conference room at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
The adviser said hotel rents in Makkah and Madinah for Package 1 pilgrims had been reduced by nearly 1,000 Saudi riyals in total. Transport costs were also reduced by 100 riyals per pilgrim.
He said the ministry worked to meet public expectations for performing Hajj at reasonable costs. Through repeated negotiations with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, airfares for Hajj were reduced by about Tk27,000 in 2025 and by around Tk13,000 this year. Overall, airfares have fallen by nearly Tk40,000 over the past two years, which he described as a significant achievement.
Highlighting this year’s arrangements, Adviser Khalid said service charges for Package 3 were reduced by about 600 riyals per pilgrim through effective coordination with service provider companies. The savings, along with previously allocated housing and transport costs between hotels and the Mosque, helped relocate accommodation closer to the Masjid al-Haram.
This eased travel difficulties and enabled pilgrims to perform daily prayers at the Grand Masjid al-Haram.
The adviser said the ministry had carried out its responsibilities over the past one and a half years with transparency, accountability and integrity. Efforts were made to make the ministry and its subordinate offices more active, dynamic and effective, resulting in positive changes.
He also outlined initiatives of the Islamic Foundation. A total of 163 people were appointed to vacant posts, while recruitment of 197 candidates could not be completed due to pending cases. The process will be finalised after legal resolution. In addition, 29 officials in grade nine and above and 32 officials in grades 10 to 20 were promoted in accordance with rules. Recruitment for remaining higher-grade vacancies is underway.
The adviser also presented the activities of departments and agencies under the ministry over the past one and a half years and thanked journalists for their professionalism and cooperation.
Religious Affairs Secretary Md Kamal Uddin, Additional Secretary of the Hajj Wing Md Ayatul Islam, Additional Secretary (Budget and Grant) Md Fazlur Rahman, among others, were present at the briefing.
