ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has set Oct. 20 as the deadline for intending pilgrims selected under the government Hajj scheme to deposit the second installment of their pilgrimage dues, the religious affairs ministry said late Friday.

Pakistan allocated 107,526 slots, including 30,000 for a shorter package, to the government scheme, while another 71,696 slots have been allocated to the private scheme for next year’s Hajj.

The country completed online booking of all seats under the government Hajj scheme on Aug. 25, marking the first time the entire quota had been filled through a digital reservation system.

In its statement issued on Friday, the religious affairs ministry warned that pilgrims applications for next year’s Hajj would be canceled if payments were not made by the cut-off date.

“The dates for depositing the second installment of dues for Hajj pilgrims under the government scheme have been set for October 5 to October 20, 2026,” the ministry said.

“The Ministry stated that failure to deposit the second installment by the deadline will result in the cancelation of the pilgrim’s application, and the amount previously deposited will be refunded to the pilgrim’s account.”

Pilgrims under the government scheme can deposit the second installment of Hajj dues via the ‘Pak Hajj App’ or the digital Hajj portal during the specified period.

The ministry clarified that uploading the Hajj medical fitness certificate to the ‘Pak Hajj’ app or the digital Hajj portal was mandatory before depositing the second installment.

The government this year announced that pilgrims would pay Rs1.2 million ($4,334) for a 40-day Hajj package and Rs1.3 million ($4,695) for a shorter, 20- to 25-day package under the government scheme.

Payments of first installment of dues for seats under the shorter government package were completed within 24 hours after the process began on Aug. 18, while the remaining seats under the scheme were booked by Aug. 25.