Nine aspirant Hajj pilgrims received visas from the Saudi Arabian embassy in Dhaka yesterday, as authorities concerned continued their efforts to finish the visa processing procedures before the first Hajj flight leaves on August 27.
Even though 1,000 more Hajj aspirants – who would be travelling under government arrangement – are expected to receive their visas today, uncertainty remains about the fate of thousands of others who would make the pilgrimage under the management of private Hajj agencies.
Mizanur Rahman, director of Religious Affairs Ministry’s Hajj office, told the Dhaka Tribune that more than 1,000 government-managed pilgrims are expected to get their visas on Friday. He added that the Hajj office’s primary goal was to ensure visas for the pilgrims of the first two Hajj flights, all of whom would travel under government management.
The Saudi embassy will stay open on Friday – a weekly holiday – to accelerate the visa processing for aspirant pilgrims.
Asked about the fate of the pilgrims going under the management of private agencies, Mizanur said the agencies were yet to receive their barcode – a pre-requisite for visa applications – from the Saudi government. The Hajj agencies have prepared the necessary documents for around 6,000 aspirant pilgrims and would submit the documents to the embassy as soon as they receive their individual barcode, he added.
Ibrahim Bahar, president of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB), yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that were yet to receive the barcodes from the Saudi government, adding that even if they received the codes on Friday, it would not be possible to submit visa documents before Sunday.
He also said it was unlikely that visas would be secured in time for over 11,000 pilgrims who are set to fly during the first few days of Hajj flights in August. Despite booking seats on flights, many pilgrims would have to postpone their flights for not getting the visas in time, Bahar added.
According to the Religious Affairs Ministry, 98,762 pilgrims are expected to participate in the upcoming Hajj. Among them, only 1,600 pilgrims will go through government initiative, while the rest will travel under the management of over 800 private Hajj agencies.
