Hassan Cheruppa

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali will arrive in the Kingdom on Wednesday ahead of the Haj pilgrimage.



The country’s Haj delegation, headed by Minister of Religious Affairs Motiur Rahman, is already in the Kingdom.



With the arrival of its last flight on Sunday, the Bangladesh Haj Mission has completed all preparations to extend the best ever services to more than 98,000 pilgrims, according to Consul General A.K.M. Shahidul Karim.



Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Karim said the Bangladesh government and the Haj mission have made all arrangements to enable the pilgrims to perform their Haj rituals smoothly and comfortably.



There are more than 200 staffers at the mission to serve the pilgrims.



He said: “We have taken a series of measures to improve the quality of services being rendered to the pilgrims, and the newly introduced city check-in is one example of this.



“Three committees have been formed for the smooth conduct of the Haj operation at the Holy Sites, and they consist of the admin tent management committee, tent inspection committee for government managed pilgrims and tent inspection committee for agency managed pilgrims.”



Rahman and senior officials are said to be impressed by the services and facilities arranged by the mission for the pilgrims.



He attended a meeting on the King Abdullah Grand Mosque Expansion Project, convened by the government of Saudi Arabia.



The meeting was chaired by Sheikh Abdurahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.



Bangladesh Ambassador Md. Shahidul Islam also attended the meeting.



A total of 98,814 Bangladeshis are performing Haj this year.



Of them, 1,557 are under the government’s arrangements and the rest have gone through private tour operators.



The departure flights will start operation from Oct. 8 to Nov. 7, Karim said.



Biman and Saudi Arabian Airlines are transporting the pilgrims.



A medical team comprising 181 doctors and paramedics has arrived together with the administrative delegation to serve pilgrims at the mission’s clinics in Makkah, Madinah and the Jeddah Haj terminal.



Karim assumed charge of the consulate on July 28 after serving three years as counselor at the Bangladesh High Commission in London.