The Religious Affairs Ministry will float a third list of pre-registered aspirant hajis from tomorrow as around 6,000 intended hajis failed to complete their final registration within the deadline of April 5. 

Sources at the ministry said around 1, 21,000 aspirant hajis have so far completed their final registration to perform hajji this year likely to be held on August 21, subject to the moon sighting.

In a bid to fill-up the quota of 1,27,198 hajis, the ministry will consider a third list of pre-registered intended hajis tomorrow from which around 6,000 hajj aspirants will be given opportunity to complete registration on the basis of their serial number, Md Anisur Rahman, secretary-in charge, religious affairs ministry told this newspaper.

Anisur Rahman also said hajj aspirants from the new list will have to complete their registration by April 10.

This year, the final registration of the pilgrims under government management started from March 1 while the registration process under private hajj management began on March 6.

The religious affairs ministry so far extended the deadline for registration fourth times.

“We hope to complete the registration process by April 10,” Anisur Rahman said.  

This year, a total of 1, 27,198 Bangladeshis will be able to perform hajj as per the agreement with Saudi Arabia.

Of them 7,198 are scheduled to perform hajj under government management and 1, 20,000 through the government-approved private hajj tour operators.

Every hajj aspirant will have to pay at least Tk 1.38 lakh for the registration. The aspirants will have to pay the rest Tk 1.94 lakh [lowest amount for hajj package] within April 15.