According to the agreement, 15,000 people will be able to go to Hajj under government management while 1,12,198 can go under private management. The remaining 1,270 pilgrims can go to Saudi Arabia as members of the Hajj team (administrative and medical).
Earlier on 7 January, a three-member team led by state minister Faridul Haque Khan left for Saudi Arabia.
On 13 November, 2022, Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral document on ‘Route to Mecca’ which will ease the visit of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims to the kingdom.
Under the 'Route to Mecca' service agreement, pilgrims would be able to complete their immigration in Dhaka prior to their departure to Saudi Arabia.
Seventy percent of pilgrims will travel through Jeddah while 30 per cent through Madinah, it said, adding that Hajj pilgrims must receive Covid-19 vaccine before departure.
According to the ministry, 1, 27,000 people from Bangladesh performed Hajj in 2019 while the Saudi government increased the quota for Bangladeshi pilgrims by 10,000 in 2020. But Hajj was not held in the year for Covid-19 pandemic.
Only 60,000 people from Bangladesh were allowed to perform Hajj in 2022 as the Saudi government halved the quotas for pilgrims in different countries.