All pending hajj visa applications to be expedited

Saudi Ambassador Essa Yousef Essa Alduhailan yesterday assured that he will take steps to clear all pending hajj visa applications from Bangladesh.

The ambassador made the assurance during a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Gono Bhaban, according to PM’s speech writer M Nazrul Islam.

This year more than 83,000 Bangladeshis are scheduled to perform hajj. According to a report, more than 10,000 of them are yet to get visas due to some complications.

The prime minister requested the envoy to extend the visa approval time so all the aspirants can go to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj.

The Saudi envoy conveyed to the PM the interest of his country’s investors and companies to make investments in some projects in Bangladesh. He also handed a list of those projects to the prime minister.

Hasina said her government will take steps following scrutiny of the proposals.

On the Palestine issue, the prime minister said Bangladesh is preparing another consignment of assistance for the Palestinian people in addition to two previously sent shipments.

“The whole world is behind the Palestine except the US and a few of its allies,” she said.

The Saudi ambassador mentioned that there are some 32 lakh Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia who are contributing to the economies of both Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.

The PM requested the ambassador to take steps that would encourage Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia to send their remittances home through legal channels.