Carrying hajj pilgrims only by Biman, Saudi Airlines declared illegal

The High Court on Thursday declared illegal the government decision allowing only national flag carrier Biman and Saudi Arabian Airlines to carry the entire hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh. Delivering the judgment upon a pending writ petition challenging the legality of the impugned government decision, an HC bench comprising Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Habubul Gani passed the order after hearing both sides. Abdul Kabir Khan, vice president of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Hab) and Rezaul Islam, a pilgrim, jointly filed the writ petition. Barrister Mahbub Shafique assisted by advocate KM Hafizul Alam appeared for the petitioners. On April 24 last year, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism decided that only Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudi Airlines would carry the entire hajj pilgrims. Responding to the writ petition, the HC on July 29 the same year issued rule upon the government to explain why its impugned decision to carry the entire hajj pilgrims only by Biman and Saudi Arabian Airlines should not be declared illegal. It also had passed an ad-interim order that the pilgrims can choose any airlines of their own choice in order to perform hajj in Saudi Arabia. Following the HC order the hajj pilgrims now can choose any airlines of their own to perform hajj, according to UNB.