Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain Addressed a press conference today. Photo: PID

DHAKA, Oct 13, 2025 (BSS) - Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain today said the government repatriated and accumulated unspent Hajj fund of Tk.37.94 crore, stuck in Saudi Arabia acting on behalf of 990 Bangladeshi Hajj agencies.

Addressing a press conference, he said the amount was repatriated through the government initiatives in line with requests from Hajj agencies which were trying the get their unspent money refunded for several years.

“A total of 990 agencies had unspent money deposited in the IBAN (International Bank Account Number) of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's Masar Nusuk platform from 2017 to 2024,” Hossain said.

The adviser said the amount was transferred to the Hajj-related account of the Bangladesh Hajj Office in Saudi Franchise Bank.

“All our official processes were successfully completed due to sincere efforts and positive initiative by the religious ministry,” he said.

Hossain said the amount had been deposited in Saudi Arabian banks over the years by the Bangladeshi agencies for Hajj-related purposes but remained unused.

The recovery was made from the Masar Nusuk platform under the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, where 990 agencies had deposited money via IBAN accounts, he said.