1.27 lakh Bangladeshis to perform hajj this year: state minister

A total of 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis will be able to perform hajj this year, State Minister for Religious Affairs, Md Faridul Haque Khan told parliament today.

"The quota of hajj pilgrims for Bangladesh this year is one lakh twenty-seven thousand and one ninety-eight," he said in reply to a query from ruling Awami League MP M Abdul Latif.

With Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair, the question-answer session of today's parliament sitting was tabled.

In a scripted answer, the state minister said the quota of hajj pilgrims for Bangladesh was 58,628 in 2009, which was increased to around 1.27 lakh in 2019.

He also said due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh like other countries was given a limited quota of 60,146 pilgrims in 2022.

Faridul Haque Khan said that overall, the quota of pilgrims has increased by 148% from 2009 to 2023 which is a big milestone for the success of the current government.