Hajj office embarrassed as pilgrims travel to Jeddah without visas [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Hajj office embarrassed as pilgrims travel to Jeddah without visas

Local August 01, 2017

At least two pilgrims have travelled to Saudi Arabia without visas from the host country, causing tension among the Bangladeshi officials in Jeddah.
The Saudi immigration authorities have spotted two cases recently and criticised poor hajj management by the Bangladeshi authorities.
According to the religious affairs ministry in Dhaka, Nasima Akhter [pilgrim identification number 1457072] travelled to Jeddah Hajj terminal at King Abdul Aziz International Airport on July 27 on a flight SV-805 of Saudi Airlines.
Nasima had arranged her travel to Jeddah through a private Hajj service provider, Shaban Air International (license number 1457).
Upon her arrival, the Saudi immigration police noticed that she had travelled to Jeddah without any visa.
Apart from this, the ministry officials said an owner of a Bangladeshi hajj service provider also reached Jeddah without any visa.
Both were barred from entering into the Saudi city and the authorities kept them waiting for 16 hours at the airport.
The Bangladesh Hajj office in Jeddah had intervened and managed their visa after long negotiation.
‘It’s an embarrassing situation for the Hajj office in Jeddah and contrary to fair Hajj management by Bangladesh,’ a dispatch signed by the seasonal Hajj officer Muhammad Anwar Hossain read.
Anwar Hossain told New Age over phone that the situation for the woman was so worst that the Saudi immigration authorities wanted to send her bank and ‘meanwhile, we intervened’.
Apart from this, many pilgrims lost their visa and travelled to Saudi Arabia.
‘It is a negligence of Hajj service providers [in Bangladesh end],’ said Anwar.
The immigration police special superintendent Mahbubur Rahman could not be reached for his comments despite multiple attempts on Sunday and Monday.
One of his colleagues told New Age that they had inquired about Nasima and the Saudi Airlines told them she had lost her visa.
Apart from the poor management, the Biman Bangladesh Airlines said they have cancelled six flights dedicated to Saudi Arabia till Monday evening due to shortage of pilgrims.
Officials at the national flag carrier said that they had to cancel the flights as aspiring pilgrims failed to obtain visa on time.
Biman spokesperson Shakil Meraj said that they had cancelled a flight on Monday due to shortage of passengers. Two other flights scheduled for Tuesday were also cancelled on Monday.
Shakil said that Biman could have carried 2,700 passengers in those six flights.
Leaders of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh said that they were facing problems to get visas on time due to technical faults.
HAAB’s secretary general Shahadat Hossain Taslim said that the visa issue had originated from poor server management.
Biman had to cancel a number of flights last year due to same problem.
The pilgrims started flying to Saudi Arabia on July 24 and would continue until August 28. Till Sunday night, 23,762 pilgrims could reach Saudi cities.