Pilgrims to go under scanner to prevent human trafficking
The government has taken a number of measures to stop human trafficking to Saudi Arabia in the name of Hajj Pilgrimage through proper checking and screening of
pilgrims before the flight that begins on September 7. A taskforce has been formed to carry out the checks and screening following a request from Saudi government.
“Hajj passengers, below 35 years of age, would be screened strictly to prevent human trafficking. Their financial and family backgrounds would also come under the police scanner,” religious affairs secretary Kazi Habibul Awal told reporters after a meeting on hajj management preparation held at the secretariat on Wednesday.
A total of 89,179 Bangladeshis would perform hajj this year, he said, adding, a total of 1,589 Bangladeshis would perform hajj under government management and the rest 87,590 pilgrims would go under private arrangement.
The number of intending hajj pilgrims has been reduced this year due to imposition of restrictions on passengers, both by the governments in Dhaka and Riyadh, he said.
Saudi government had approved 120,000 Bangladeshi pilgrims, but later it requested Bangladesh to reduce number by 20 percent for reason of renovation work of Haram Sharif and other holy sites, the secretary said.
Saudi Arabia has imposed restrictions on pilgrimage by those who had performed hajj in the last five years.
-With The Independent input
