Hajj agencies eye 20,000 more pilgrim slots

The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) has sought 20,000 additional slots for pilgrims in 2027 after the religious affairs ministry said Bangladesh's existing quota had been filled.

Saudi Arabia initially allocated 78,500 Hajj slots to Bangladesh, while the registration deadline passed on Sept 24.

The ministry has not extended the deadline because the quota has been filled, its spokesman Farhad Ahmed told bdnews24.com on Friday.
However, HAAB has applied for an additional 20,000 slots, prompting the ministry to approach Saudi Arabia over an increase.

“Taking HAAB's request into consideration, the ministry has already sent a DO letter to the Saudi government seeking an additional quota,” Farhad said.

“But we have not received any response yet. It depends on the Saudi government's decision.” HAAB Secretary General Farid Ahmed Mazumder said the association was awaiting a response from Saudi Arabia.

“We have applied for an additional 20,000 Hajj slots. The government and the religious affairs minister also appear to be very sincere about the matter,” he said.

“We understand that they have sent a DO letter. We are now waiting for the Saudi government's approval.”

The latest figures on the ministry's Hajj portal show 75,982 people have registered to perform Hajj next year -- 5,090 under government management and 70,892 through private operators.

That leaves the number of registered pilgrims 2,518 short of the 78,500 quota.

Farhad said the difference was accounted for by people who had collected registration vouchers but had yet to complete the process, as well as members of the Hajj management team.�" bdnews24