The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAB) has demanded an allocation of 20,000 more Hajj pilgrims in addition to the quota set for the 2027 holy Hajj.
The organization submitted a request to the Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in this regard on Sunday. The attention of the Additional Secretary (Hajj) has been drawn to the application.
The application states that the Saudi government’s Hajj quota of 78,500 people for Bangladesh has already been filled. In addition, more than 20,000 pilgrims are waiting for the opportunity to register. The application also states that they are mentally and financially ready to perform Hajj in 2027.
In this situation, taking into account the issue of these waiting Hajj pilgrims, the Hub has requested that the Saudi government take immediate and effective steps to increase Bangladesh’s Hajj quota by another 20,000.
The application submitted to the Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs states that for a long time, the quota of Hajj pilgrims for Bangladesh was 127,198. However, in the past few years, the number of Hajj pilgrims has decreased due to various reasons including political instability and economic crisis. In view of this, the Saudi government has reduced the Hajj quota for Bangladesh for 2027 to 78,500.
The application further states that this time there has been a huge response among those interested in performing Hajj. The quota of 78,500 people was filled within the stipulated registration period. Even after this, more than 20,000 pilgrims are waiting for the opportunity to go for Hajj. A large number of these people have made the necessary preparations for performing Hajj.
The Hub said that even after fulfilling the prescribed quota, a large number of pilgrims are at risk of being deprived of the opportunity to perform Hajj. In this situation, it is necessary to consider the issue of Allah’s guests with utmost importance and take initiatives to allocate a quota of 20,000 more pilgrims in addition to the prescribed quota.
The petition states that if the matter is given utmost importance and necessary measures are taken quickly in the interest of smooth Hajj management, the waiting Hajj pilgrims will have the opportunity to perform the holy Hajj in 2027.
It is worth noting that the Saudi government has given Bangladesh a quota of 78,500 people for the holy Hajj in 2027. Under this quota, Hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh will go to Saudi Arabia under government and private management.