Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday inaugurated the Hajj Programme-2023 (1444 Hijri), urging pilgrims to pray that Bangladesh and its people are protected from any man-made or natural disaster.

“I would like to request you to pray so that any disaster or crisis –either man-made or natural— can’t damage Bangladesh and the people of Bangladesh,” she said.

The premier opened the programme at the Hajj camp in the capital’s Ashkona and later she exchanged greetings with the hajj pilgrims.

Hasina said man-made disaster alongside natural calamity happens in Bangladesh as the people are killed here by resorting to arson violence and setting transport vehicles on fire.

She asked the pilgrims to pray so that the development and the current progress of Bangladesh would continue in future.

“What I want most from you (hajj pilgrims) is that you will pray for my people of Bangladesh so that none could play ducks and drakes with the fortune of them,” she said.

The first hajj flight is scheduled to depart Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Saudi Arabia at 2:45am on Saturday.

Read more: PM inaugurates Hajj programme-2023

This year, a total of 122,221 pilgrims from Bangladesh are going to perform the holy hajj. But the number of hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh was 57,585 last year due to Covid-19 restriction.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 127,198 pilgrims from Bangladesh performed hajj in 2019.

The hajj is expected to be held on June 27, subject to the sighting of the moon.

The PM called upon the country’s people and Aleem-Ulama to come forward to contribute in building a modern and knowledge-based developed nation by standing against militancy and terrorism.

“I urge you (hajj pilgrims) and Aleem-Ulama to stand boldly against militancy and terrorism so our children can stay away from these (social diseases) and equip them with knowledge about modern technology  to build a developed nation,” she said.

Describing Islam as a religion of peace and welfare of the people, she said unfortunately Islam gets a bad name due to a handful  individuals who engaged in militancy and violence.

Read more: PM Hasina lauds community clinics for reaching healthcare services to common people 

“Those who resort to militancy and terrorism as well as kill innocent people have no religion. If someone thinks they will go to heaven by killing innocent people, it will never happen. Almighty Allah never said it and our Prophet (SM) also didn’t say it,” she said.

Noting that Islam is the best religion of the world, she urged all to take initiative on their respective parts and positions to prevent these misguided people from earning a bad name  for the best religion.

Hasina asked the hajj pilgrims to pray during their holy hajj for her younger sister Sheikh Rehana and other family members.

Wishing the pilgrims good health during the hajj,  Hasina said, “You people are going to the house of Allah as guests of Allah as well as to Makkah-Madinah Sharif. We pray that you may perform hajj in a safe, healthy and beautiful manner as well as that you can return safely to the near and dear ones in the country.”

The PM said they have introduced “e-hajj management” to reduce the suffering of hajj pilgrims.

Focusing on her government’s steps to improve hajj and umrah management, she said now, all the activities of hajj management such as pre-registration, registration, refund, Makkah road service, e-health, e-visa, flight, help desk, call centre, agency profile management are being done to ease the hajj system for Bangladeshi pilgrims.

The premier said the hajj related notification is being provided to each hajj pilgrim through SMS and there is also a call centre where from the pilgrims can know everything through dialing call to 16136.

She said her government enacted the Hajj and Umrah Management Act-2021 which has made the hajj management easier.

State Minister for Religious Affairs Md. Faridul Haque Khan presided over the inaugural function.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali, Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan, local lawmaker Habib Hasan (Dhaka-18), Religious Affairs Secretary Kazi Enamul Hassan and president of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) Shahadat Hossain Taslim also spoke on the occasion.

At the outset of the event, a video documentary on the hajj management was screened.