They said bookings under the private Hajj scheme would continue until October 17, after which the Ministry of Religious Affairs will close its online portal for further registrations.

According to the sources, so far, bookings for 44,000 pilgrims have been completed under the scheme, which has a total quota of 60,000 pilgrims this year.

The ministry has made it clear that no extension in the booking deadline will be possible.

The sources said that under the current arrangements, private Hajj operators have completed bookings for around 23,000 pilgrims in the last 25 days.

Last year’s 21,654 pilgrims, who could not perform Hajj due to various reasons, will also be accommodated this year.

The quota for private Hajj operators has been reduced from 90,000 to 60,000 this year, out of which 38,346 seats have been allocated to approved operators.

The Minister for Religious Affairs has instructed private operators to expedite the booking process and launch awareness campaigns to ensure all available seats are filled before the deadline.