Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia sign 2027 Hajj deal, quota raised
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Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia on Monday signed the bilateral Hajj agreement for 2027, with Dhaka's pilgrim quota raised by 5,000 to 83,500, the Bangladesh religious affairs ministry said.
The agreement was signed in Jeddah at 7:00 pm local time. Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain (Kaikobad) signed for Bangladesh, while Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah signed for the kingdom, a Ministry press release said here.
The minister said the Saudi side agreed on the spot to add 5,000 to the quota following a special request from the Bangladesh government. Last year, a total of 78,500 Bangladeshi pilgrims performed Hajj under government and private arrangements.
He said the limited tent capacity in Mina, the tent city near Makkah where pilgrims stay during Hajj, came up during the talks. Despite that constraint, the Saudi minister assured that if any country fails to send pilgrims against its quota, or if a quota is cancelled, the kingdom would sympathetically consider giving priority to Bangladesh in reallocating it.
"We will do whatever is needed for you," the Saudi minister was quoted as saying, according to the Bangladeshi minister.
The Bangladeshi minister praised the leadership of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and thanked the Saudi government for the quota increase and support. He also thanked Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdullah Jafar H. bin Abiyah and other officials.
He said the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is working to make Hajj management easier, more transparent and more service-oriented, and that the efforts would continue.
Saudi Assistant Minister of Hajj and Umrah Al-Hasan Al-Monakha, religious affairs ministry secretary Munshi Alauddin Al Azad, additional secretary (Hajj wing) Dr Md Ayatul Islam, Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Md Delowar Hossain, Consul General in Jeddah Md Sakhawat Hossain, Counsellor (Hajj) Md Kamrul Islam and other senior officials from both countries attended the signing.