SUNDAY TIMES KARACHI:A spokesperson for the Ministry of Religious Affairs said all banks have been directed to complete online entry at the earliest and ensure accurate entry of those pilgrims who remained unsuccessful in the last three years.

More than 192,000 Hajj applications have been received under the government scheme in various branches of 14 designated banks across the country.

Earlier, the deadline of receiving Hajj applications for the government scheme was extended till March 09.

The balloting of the Hajj scheme will be held on March 11 (Monday).

The applicants at some parts of the country were facing difficulties due to rough weather conditions such as snowfall, rainfall and flash floods.

The process of receiving Hajj applications under the government scheme was started on February 25.

The spokesman said that as many as 200,000 people from Pakistan would perform Hajj this year, 60 percent of which under the government scheme, while the rest under the private tour operators.

The particulars of the applicants have been uploaded on official website of the ministry. The applicants were also being informed about receipt of their applications through short messaging services (SMS) on their mobile phones, the spokesman said.

The ministry’s spokesman advised the applicants to check their particulars on the website and correct the mistakes if any.