Unregistered Hajj aspirants seek PM's help for journey

Some prospective Hajj pilgrims who did not register online yesterday sought the prime minister's intervention in arranging their journey to Saudi Arabia.

Forming a human chain in front of the capital's Jatiya Press Club wearing the two unstitched white cloths worn on the pilgrimage, they, along with some private Hajj agency owners, tried to bring out a procession but were stopped by police.

Later, their representatives were allowed to go to the prime minister's office to submit a memorandum.

One of them, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, accused some government officials of creating the problem by not registering "genuine Hajj pilgrims".

The Ministry of Religious Affairs says the Saudi authorities fixed a quota, saying 1,01,750 Bangladeshis will be allowed to perform Hajj this year.

However, 1,11,012 people deposited the fees and 19,104 of them did not register online, a process introduced this year, says the ministry. Since the registration deadline expired, the ministry officials say everything now depends on the Saudi authorities.