Age limit for Hajj pilgrims may be extended from next year

From next year, the age limit for Hajj pilgrims may be lifted paving the way for people above 65 years to go for the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage.

State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan came up with the announcement today.

"We hope this year's Hajj will be in full scale and we will get the full ratio of pilgrims as per quota," the Minister told reporters at a meeting of the newly elected committee of the Religious Reporters Forum (RRF), led by its president Ubaidullah Badol and general secretary Kamruzzaman Bablu.

The junior minister also said, "Unofficial talks have been held with the Saudi government, and the issue of 65 years' restriction may not exist next time."

Earlier, the Saudi government allowed people to perform Hajj who were fully vaccinated and aged below 65 years.

This year around 60,256 Bangladeshis performed Hajj, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for all Muslims physically and financially able to make the journey.

This year hajj was held on July 8.

In 2019, around 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis were allowed to perform hajj. However, due to the global Covid pandemic, the largest annual Muslim congregation was held on a limited scale in the last two years.