Pakistan’s Hajj payment deadline nears with 97,000 second installments recorded

ISLAMABAD: Nearly 97,000 Pakistani pilgrims have paid the second installment for Hajj under the government’s scheme, the religious affairs ministry said on Tuesday, warning that applications may be canceled if outstanding dues are not paid by the October 20 deadline.

Pakistan is preparing for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims enrolled in the government scheme are required to pay their fees in installments and complete the necessary medical documentation.

The ministry said Rs61 billion ($216 million) had been received through the digital Hajj portal in second-installment payments.

“Pilgrims who have yet to pay must complete the payment of their dues by October 20,” the ministry said. “Pay your Hajj dues on time to avoid the cancellation of your application.”

According to the statement, 45,245 pilgrims paid through the 1LINK banking network, 3,685 used payment cards and 47,563 made payments through manually submitted bank challans.

The ministry advised pilgrims to use the National Information Technology Board’s Hajj portal or the Pak Hajj mobile application to complete their payments.

Applicants were also reminded to download their medical fitness certificates from the Hajj portal, have them verified by a doctor and upload the authenticated documents to the same platform.

The statement urged intending pilgrims to regularly check the Pak Hajj application for updates and instructions related to the pilgrimage.

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is obligatory once in a lifetime for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake the journey.

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