All the group leaders, or monazzems, of the aspiring hajj pilgrims under 325 private hajj agencies will receive their hajj visas today, said Ibrahim Bahar, president of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) yesterday evening.
“We, along with the minister and other high officials of the ministry, met with the Saudi ambassador to expedite the visa procedure, and he assured us that he would help in this regard,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
He said all the necessary documents had been submitted at the Saudi Arabia Embassy and some of the monazzems would be able to fly out to Saudi Arabia as soon as this evening.
When asked if the absence of the leaders had caused the hajj pilgrims already in Saudi Arabia to face difficulties, he said: “I will not deny that they pilgrims may be suffering without their leaders, but all the agencies have had other people in place to look after the pilgrims.”
Bahar also said he was satisfied with the ministry’s preparation with hajj this year.
Mizanur Rahman, director of the Hajj Office at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, reiterated Bahar’s statement and told the Dhaka Tribune that there were no longer any problems in getting the hajj visas, and all the flight were leaving Bangladesh in the scheduled time.
He said more than 71,000 Bangladeshis had arrived at Saudi Arabia to perform hajj, starting on October 4. A total of 98,683 are expected to perform hajj this year.
