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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned on Thursday that the last spell of monsoon rains is expected to continue for the next two to three days amid high water levels at Guddu Barrage in Sindh, as swollen rivers from Punjab move south.

Punjab, home to more than half of Pakistan’s 240 million people and its main farming belt, has been devastated since late August when record monsoon rains swelled the Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers simultaneously in a historic first. Punjab officials say 79 people have died and nearly two million acres of farmland submerged in the province’s worst flooding in four decades.

Pakistani authorities had cautioned that the last spell of monsoon rains is expected to last in the country till Sept. 10. The Punjab disaster authority said the Chenab River was still carrying heavy volumes on Thursday afternoon, with more than 150,000 cubic feet per second flowing through Trimmu, one of its major control points, and above 90,000 at Qadirabad further downstream.

The Sutlej River was also running high, pushing over 120,000 cubic feet per second through its headworks at Sulemanki and Islam, while the Ravi had stabilized at lower levels. Officials said the overall pattern showed that enormous volumes of water were continuing to drain southward from Punjab into the Indus.

“We have arrived at the last days and at the last spell of monsoon 2025,” NDMA Chairman Gen. Inam Haider Malik said during a televised media briefing.

“And in the next two to three days, we believe this last spell of rains, which in the last two days has shifted from Sindh to Balochistan and coastal areas, is slowly now losing steam,” he added.

Malik noted that the water level was flowing from the rivers Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej in layers to the Guddu Barrage in Sindh and at Panjnad, the confluence of the five rivers in southern Punjab.

Guddu is one of the two main barrages that channel Indus waters into central and southern Sindh, protecting densely populated areas further downstream.

The NDMA chairman said rescue operations were continuing across the country, adding that 2.4 million people in Punjab have been shifted from dangerous to safe locations.

He said over 5,000 villages in Punjab that have been inundated will take time to recover. He said it will take around three to four weeks for the water in these areas to dry, after which they will become accessible. In Sindh, Malik said 150,000 people have been relocated to safer places.

Earlier, the Flood Forecasting Division said River Indus at Guddu barrage is expected to attain very high flood level during the next 48 hours, adding that River Indus at Sukur is expected to attain a high flood level after 48 hours.

By Thursday afternoon, Guddu Barrage itself was carrying more than 505,000 cusecs, with gauges upstream at Chachran showing levels steady at nearly 298 feet, officials said.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said in a statement Sukkur Barrage had safely handled over 1.1 million cusecs of water in recent days. He said reinforcement works were under way at 45 vulnerable points across the province.

SOUTHERN PUNJAB

Meanwhile, rescue operations remain focused in southern Punjab’s Jalalpur Pirwala, a tehsil near the city of Multan where the Chenab and Sutlej converge and floodwaters have inundated entire villages.

“With the help of the Pakistan Army, relief goods are being delivered to the affected areas,” said PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia.

He said 706,000 people had been affected in Jalalpur Pirwala, 362,000 moved to safer places and more than 311,000 livestock relocated.

“Rescue operations will continue until all victims are moved to safe places,” he added.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said 3,628 people had been evacuated from Multan in the past three days, and that water levels at key headworks, including Muhammad Wala and Sher Shah Bridge, were “no longer critical.”

Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabil Javed said more than 4.3 million people across the province had been affected and 2.26 million moved to safe places.

He said 396 relief camps, 490 medical camps and 412 veterinary camps were operating, and 1.7 million animals had been relocated.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast no significant rain until at least Sept. 15, giving flooded areas in Punjab time to drain.

But officials have cautioned that swollen rivers would continue pushing south into Sindh for days, requiring close monitoring of dykes and barrages.

Nationwide, nearly 1,000 people have been killed in Pakistan since the monsoon season began on June 26.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has filled its entire quota of 179,210 Hajj pilgrims under both the government and private schemes, the religious affairs minister said on Thursday, disclosing that negotiations are underway with Saudi companies to finalize transport and accommodation arrangements.

Similar to last year, Pakistan has been allocated a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2026. Out of these, around 120,000 seats have been allocated under the government scheme and the rest to private tour operators.

“We have now completed the Hajj applications with the entire quota utilized and the first installment of dues also submitted,” Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf told Arab News.

The minister was speaking to Arab News at the sidelines of a pre-launch event for a Hajj and Umrah exhibition in Islamabad, which will take place from Oct. 24-26 in Islamabad.

“All preparations have been finalized and a procurement committee has been formed to sign agreements with Saudi companies for transportation, accommodation, and other arrangements,” Yousuf said. “And their work has already started.”

The minister said many people were still inquiring about the government scheme quota, saying they were unable to apply in time. Yousuf said the ministry would accommodate them on a case-by-case basis, provided any pilgrims drop out.

He added that the private sector has also completed its quota of 60,000 Hajj pilgrims.

“Thus, next year Pakistan will fully utilize its total quota of 179,210 pilgrims,” the minister said.

Last year, around 63,000 Pakistani pilgrims were unable to perform Hajj under the private scheme due to delays in payments and mismanagement by private Hajj operators.

As a result, Islamabad was forced to surrender these slots to ��������.

Yousaf said the government had taken serious action over the matter, saying this led to a reduction in the Hajj pilgrims’ quota for private tour operators this year.

He said earlier, the quota for Hajj pilgrims under government and private schemes was kept allocated at 50 percent each. The quota for private tour operators now has been slashed to 33 percent while the government has been allocated a share of 67 percent.

“Through this, the cabinet has sent a warning that since performance was unsatisfactory, their [private Hajj operators] quota has been reduced by 30,000— from almost 90,000 to 60,000,” Yousuf said.

He said the ministry would review performances of private tour operators this year and future quotas would be decided accordingly.

Yousuf spoke about the Munazzam system adopted by Pakistan, which refers to clustering private Hajj operators into larger groups to meet ��������’s regulatory requirements.

“Last year there were 41 clusters which have now been reduced to 25 this year,” he said.

Under the Kingdom’s rules, only companies handling a minimum of 2,000 pilgrims can directly operate Hajj services. Since most Pakistani private Hajj operators are small and don’t individually meet this threshold, they are grouped together into clusters called Munazzam.

‘STRICT ACTION’ AGAINST BEGGARS

Yousuf said the government is working hard to reduce Hajj expenses, adding that the early completion of procedures would help to achieve this.

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

Applicants were required to deposit the first installment of Rs500,000 [$1764] or Rs550,000 [$1941], depending on the package. The remaining dues will be collected in November.

Yousuf said the ministry has established a separate wing to take control of Umrah operations, according to the Hajj and Umrah (Regulation) Act, 2024.

“I met with the tour operators this morning as we are going to implement this act soon, and work is already underway as modalities are being finalized and registration of the Umrah tour operators is underway,” he said.

Yousuf acknowledged that previously, some Umrah pilgrims went to perform the pilgrimage but were found begging and involved in similar activities, bringing a bad name to Pakistan.

He said the Saudi government has been very strict about begging and sent letters to all countries, urging them to strengthen their systems to prevent the illegal practice.

“It was a mafia-like network, and we have now strictly prohibited it and strict action will be taken against anyone found involved in such practices,” Yousuf said.