Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain has said the government is working to ensure the best interests of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims.

He noted that last year airfare for Hajj was reduced by nearly Tk27,000 and efforts are ongoing to keep fares at a reasonable level this year as well.

He made the remarks on Wednesday morning while addressing a workshop at the Ashkona Hajj Office in Dhaka, organised to increase the number of pilgrims traveling under the government Hajj scheme for 2026.

Hossain said there is strong public demand to reduce the overall cost of Hajj, but it is not entirely within the government’s control.

“We cannot reduce costs fixed by the Saudi government. Our negotiations are limited to airfare and house rent. We are actively working to set airfare at a fair and rational level,” he said.

He also emphasised that the government has no commercial interest in Hajj management.

“The government does not profit from Hajj operations. Instead, any unused funds from government-managed packages are returned to the pilgrims. This year alone, we refunded Tk8.28 crore to pilgrims,” he added.

Highlighting the advantages of the official Hajj scheme, the adviser noted that the more pilgrims travel through government arrangements, the easier and safer the overall management becomes.

“If a significant number of pilgrims go through the government channel, we can ensure better services,” he said, urging officials to intensify efforts to encourage participation.

The workshop was presided over by Religious Affairs Secretary AKM Aftab Hossain Pramanik. Joint Secretary (Hajj) Manjurul Haque, Additional Secretary (Hajj) Md Ayatul Islam, Additional Secretary (Administration) Md A Awal Howlader, Additional Secretary Md Imtiaz Ahmed, and Islamic Foundation Director General Abdur Salam Khan also spoke at the event.

Organised by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the day-long workshop brought together officials from the ministry, Dhaka Hajj Office, Islamic Foundation headquarters, divisional and district offices, and the Imam Training Academy.

Later in the day, Hossain attended a discussion, prize distribution, and doa mahfil at Dhaka College, held in observance of the holy Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (SAW), where he delivered the keynote speech as chief guest.