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ISLAMABAD: Designated banks across Pakistan are open today for the receipt of Hajj applications from registered pilgrims, Pakistani state media reported.

Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims. Of this, 129,210 seats have been allocated for the government scheme and the rest for private tour operators, according to the Pakistani religious affairs ministry.

Under the government scheme, pilgrims can choose between a long Hajj package (38–42 days) and a short package (20–25 days). The estimated cost of the government Hajj package ranges between Rs1,150,000 and Rs1,250,000 (approximately $4,050 to $4,236).

“Hajj applicants can submit their applications online or through banks as per their convenience,” the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported, citing a ministry spokesman.

“The State Bank has issued instructions to 14 banks in this regard.”

Pakistan has received over 58,000 applications from intending pilgrims for Hajj 2026, the religious affairs ministry said on Friday.

Individuals, registered on a first-come, first-served basis, can deposit the first installment of their Hajj dues by Saturday, Aug. 9, according to the ministry.

The second installment of Hajj dues will be collected starting in November this year, it said.

�������� had approved a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Pakistan this year as well, but a large portion of the private Hajj quota for 2025 remained unutilized due to delays by tour operators in meeting payment and registration deadlines, while the government fulfilled its full allocation of over 88,000 pilgrims.

Private operators attributed the shortfall to technical issues, including payment processing problems and communication breakdowns.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has seen an increase of 3.08 percent on a week-on-week basis, a Karachi-based market research firm said on Friday.

The market this week crossed the 140,000-point barrier and closed the weekend session at 145,382.79 points on Friday, according to the PSX website.

The average daily traded volume and value during the week stood at 653 million shares and Rs47 billion ($165 million), respectively.

“This gain can be largely be attributed to buying by mutual funds on inflow of funds as equities performance continue to outshine other asset classes,” Karachi-based Topline Securities said in its weekly review.

Pakistan trade deficit for July clocked in at $2.8 billion, up by 44 percent year on year, according to the report. The country recorded remittance inflows of $3.2 billion last month, down 6 percent month on month and up 7 percent year on year.

Foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank decreased by $72 million on a weekly basis to reach $14.2 billion as of August 1, the central bank reported on Thursday.