Year-round Hajj reg planned: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Thursday the government is planning to conduct online registration of intending hajj pilgrims throughout the year to simplify hajj management, reports UNB.
"From the registrations, the hajj pilgrims then could easily be sent to Saudi Arabia through lotteries," she said adding to take due legal steps if anyone or any agency resorts to cheating with hajj pilgrims.
The Prime Minister was addressing the inauguration of Hajj Programme 2015 held at city's Ashkona Hajj Camp. The holy hajj is likely to be performed this year on September 24 subject to moon sighting.
"If the registration of interested hajj pilgrims goes on throughout the year and the Saudi government fixes which number of pilgrims we'll be able to send, then we could make arrangements for sending the hajj pilgrims through lotteries. More importantly, this will be comfortable for pilgrims," she said.
Saying that her government and the party had never indulged in politics with religion and never wants to do so, the Prime Minister said that religion used to create terrorism and militancy in the country in the past and thus confused the youth.
Terming Islam as a religion of peace, Hasina renewed her vow to  establish Bangladesh as a peaceful country in South Asia.