Dhaka: In response to an appeal for time extension, the Saudi Arabian government gave Bangladesh another two days for submitting intending Hajj pilgrims’ visa applications.

The Saudi embassy in Dhaka unofficially informed the Religious Affairs Ministry that the prospective pilgrims can submit their passports for visas till Saturday, said Md Abdul Jalil, secretary to the Ministry.

The embassy will give the delivery of the passports on Sunday, he added.

Abdul Jalil said some 125,000 visas have been issued so far for hajj pilgrims and hoped that rest of pilgrims will get visas within Sunday.

Every year around 1-2 percent would-be pilgrims fail to make it for a variety of unavoidable reasons. It will be the same this year also. However, we are trying hard to send everyone willing and even planning to make the journey this year,’ Abdul Jalil added.

Earlier on Thursday, Bangladesh’s Hajj Office wrote a letter to Saudi embassy in Dhaka asking for two-day extension to the deadline for submitting prospective pilgrims’ visa applications.

According to the Saudi government’s last announcement through its embassy, Thursday was the existing deadline for submission of passports, a process completed for them by one of the numerous Hajj agencies—travel agencies specializing in Hajj packages—through which they have registered for.

Some 127,198 pilgrims were scheduled to perform Hajj from Bangladesh this year under government and private management, following the restoration of its quota that was suspended for four years due to renovation work on the Kaaba premises, during which the number fell to 101,000-102,000.

In accordance with its Muslim population, Bangladesh is usually home to the fourth-largest contingent of pilgrims every year, and each place in its quota is hugely oversubscribed.

In such a situation, failing to fill its quota for whatever reason is likely to be met with public outrage.