Bangladesh signs 2025 Hajj agreement with Saudi Arabia

Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have signed the Hajj agreement for 2025. The bilateral agreement was finalized on Sunday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Dr AFM Khalid Hossain, Religious Affairs Adviser of Bangladesh, and Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan AlRabiah, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Hajj and Umrah, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective countries.

During the signing ceremony, the Religious Affairs Adviser discussed the overall progress of Bangladesh's Hajj management with the Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister.

He requested the minister to reconsider reducing the minimum quota for Bangladeshi Hajj agencies from 1,000 pilgrims. However, the Saudi minister maintained the minimum quota at 1,000 per agency.

Notably, in a bilateral meeting held in Jeddah last October, the Religious Affairs Adviser urged the Saudi minister to reduce the minimum quota from 2,000 to 250 pilgrims per agency.

Following this request, Saudi authorities set the quota at 1,000 per agency for 2025. However, the quota for next year will remain at 2,000 pilgrims per agency.

The signing ceremony was attended by AKM Aftab Hossain Pramanik, Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Matiul Islam, Additional Secretary of the Hajj Division, Delwar Hossain, Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Miah Mohammad Mainul Kabir, Consul General, Md Jahirul Islam, Hajj Counselor, Sadeq Ahmad, the Adviser’s Private Secretary, and senior officials from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.