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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan announced on Saturday it has extended the deadline for receiving Hajj applications under the government scheme by one day, with designated banks set to accept forms on Monday, as authorities reported receiving more than 110,000 applications over the past 12 days.

The country has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims, of which 129,210 seats have been allocated to the government scheme and the rest to private tour operators.

The religious affairs ministry said earlier the State Bank of Pakistan had accepted its request and ordered 14 designated banks to keep branches open for Hajj applications on the final day, which fell on Saturday, though the deadline was later extended in the evening.

“The receipt of Hajj applications has been extended by one day,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

“Designated banks will continue receiving applications on Monday, Aug. 18," it added. "More than 110,000 applications have been received in the last 12 days, with only 7,000 seats left under the government scheme.”

The ministry said the extension was on a “first-come, first-served basis” and that applications would close as soon as the quota was filled.

It clarified that no extension would be granted for the ministry’s online portal, which would stop accepting applications at midnight on Aug. 16.

Pakistan began receiving applications on Aug. 4. Applicants were advised to obtain computerized receipts and verify their details through the ministry’s portal or the Pak Hajj 2026 app.

Under the government scheme, pilgrims can choose between a long package (38-42 days) and a short package (20-25 days), with costs ranging between Rs1,150,000 and Rs1,250,000 ($4,050–4,236).

Applicants are required to deposit a first installment of Rs500,000 or Rs550,000 depending on the package, while the remaining dues will be collected in November.

�������� had approved the same quota for Pakistan in 2025, though private tour operators last year struggled to utilize their share, saying they faced technical and financial delays, even as the government filled its quota of over 88,000 pilgrims.

DIR, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday issued an advisory to limit tourism in mountainous areas after the death toll from torrential rains and floods in Pakistan’s northern regions in the last 48 hours increased to 332, according to an official statement.

The NDMA's latest situation report put the cumulative death toll since the beginning of the monsoon season from June 26 to August 16 at 645, with the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province being the worst hit with 383 casualties, followed by Punjab with 164.

In the last 48 hours, raging hill torrents swept away dozens of people in KP’s Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram districts, with the NDMA recording 312 deaths in the region. Other areas such as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir suffered nine and 11 deaths, respectively.

Rescuers, backed by boats and helicopters, worked for hours in KP and other areas to save stranded residents and tourists as ambulances transported bodies to hospitals.

“On the Prime Minister’s directive, the National Disaster Management Authority has issued an advisory to limit tourism in mountainous areas due to the intensity of the monsoon,” the NDMA said in a statement.

“Public movement should be restricted in high-risk areas during monsoon spells,” it continued. “If necessary, tourist restrictions may be imposed under Section 144, with law enforcement agencies in tourist areas ensuring compliance with these restrictions.”

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) empowers local authorities to prohibit gatherings of four or more people and impose restrictions on movement or activities in a specific area to prevent unrest or ensure public safety.

The NDMA also urged the public to avoid traveling to affected areas.

Separately, the KP administration declared an emergency in districts affected by rains and flash floods.

“A notification has been issued stating that the emergency will remain in effect from August 15 to August 31, 2025, in the vulnerable districts,” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a statement.

“The emergency will be enforced in the districts of Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla, Lower Dir, Upper Dir and Battagram, which have been affected by rains and flooding,” it added.

The Pakistani authorities have said the current spell of heavy rains in the region is likely to continue intermittently till August 21, with the KP PDMA issuing directives to intensify relief activities in all the affected districts and provide immediate relief to those affected.

The NDMA also said on Saturday that its team has reached Peshawar to supervise relief work.

Deputy PM Ishaq Dar expressed sorrow over the tragic loss of life and property caused by the cloudbursts and flash floods in KP and other parts of Pakistan.

“Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who are injured, and many whose homes and livelihoods have been swept away,” he said on X. “The Government of Pakistan is mobilizing all available resources to provide relief and conduct rescue operations.”

The deluges have evoked memories of 2022 when catastrophic monsoon rains and glacial melt submerged a third of the country, killing more than 1,700 people and causing over $30 billion in damages.

Pakistan, which contributes less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.

Scientists say rising temperatures are making South Asia’s monsoon rains more erratic and intense, increasing the risk of flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions like KP and Gilgit-Baltistan, where at least 20 people have died in similar incidents and several are missing.

A study released this week by World Weather Attribution, a network of international scientists, found rainfall in Pakistan from June 24 to July 23 was 10 percent to 15 percent heavier because of global warming.