Good News for Pilgrims: 16,000 Seats Unfilled as October 17 Deadline Nears

ISLAMABAD: There is good news for aspirants of the sacred Hajj pilgrimage as a whopping 16,000 seats are still available under the Private Hajj Scheme, ARY News reported, citing sources.

The sources noted that only four days remain before the booking deadline ends for the private scheme. The portal of the Ministry of Religious Affairs for private scheme bookings will be closed on October 17, and booking will continue until the deadline.

The Ministry has issued instructions to the private Hajj Operators for the timely completion of the booking process.

A total of 21,654 pilgrims who were previously deprived of performing Hajj will also be sent on the sacred journey this year.

44,000 pilgrims have been booked under the scheme so far, with 16,000 seats remaining available under the private scheme.

The private operators are conducting bookings against their new quota of 60,000 pilgrims, which was reduced from the earlier 90,000 limit.

The Private Hajj Operators has started the booking on September 19.

Earlier, the Ministry of Religious Affairs official details, a total of 37,903 new pilgrims will be able to submit their applications under the Private Hajj Scheme this year.

In addition, 22,097 pilgrims who were unable to perform Hajj last year have already been re-registered to ensure they get priority this time.

The Ministry clarified that private Hajj operators are required to submit affidavits confirming the registration of last year’s left-over pilgrims.

These operators have also been instructed to give priority to those individuals before accommodating new applicants.

The quota for private Hajj operators has been fixed at 60,000 pilgrims. Out of this, 22,096 pilgrims from last year will be facilitated first, while 37,903 new applicants will also be able to proceed for Hajj, according to sources.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) had officially finalised the application process for Pakistan’s Government Hajj Scheme 2026.

According to the ministry’s resources, a total of 118,060 applications were received from different parts of the country, marking the end of this year’s submission phase.

The application process was concluded in just 17 days, earlier than in previous years, due to the high number of applicants, despite applications being accepted online and through banks on a first-come, first-served basis.

People submitted their applications for both short and long Hajj trips, indicating their different preferences.

The ministry has now stopped accepting more applications for Hajj Scheme 2026. However, until the application process was concluded, many applications were still being submitted.

As per the official guidelines, the first instalment, which is about 50 percent of the total cost for Hajj, has already been received from applicants.

The second payment will be due starting November 1, 2025, and will cover the rest of the expenses.

According to the experts, the cost under the government program will total around PKR 1.15 million to PKR 1.25 million, depending on where the applicants are from and how long they stay.