The 'Bishwa Ijtema' (global congregation), considered the second largest Muslim gathering in the world after the hajj, began on Friday in Tongi, on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
It is estimated that this year some five million national and foreign devotees will attend the congregations.
Devotees from around 150 countries around the world including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Iran, India, Syria, Chad, Tajikistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kuwait, Oman, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Ethiopia, Myanmar, South Africa, Egypt, Palestine, Germany, France, Sudan, Nigeria, Italy, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States are expected to attend the congregation in 2024.
Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan Mahbub said around 1,000 devotees from Pakistan are expected to attend the Bishwa Ijtema in Bangladesh this year.
“Our missions in Pakistan have already issued the necessary visas to the devotees,” he said.
This year the congregation will be held in two phases: the first from February 2 to 4 and the second from February 9 to 12.
“Bangladesh, the third largest Muslim-majority country in the world, is the proud and permanent host of the Ijtema (congregation) for the last 57 years,” Mambub said.
Bangladeshi Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had allotted 160 acres of land permanently for Bishwa Ijtema, he said, adding that the land currently costs hundreds of billions of dollars.
