The Ministry of Religious Affairs has asked all intending pilgrims enrolled under the government’s Hajj Scheme 2027 to deposit their second instalment by October 20, the last date for depositing the dues.

“Pilgrims must pay by the deadline to avoid cancellation of their Hajj applications,” the ministry added.

The ministry’s spokesperson said that so far over 97,000 pilgrims have deposited the second instalment and total revenues through the National Information Technology Board’s (NITB) digital Hajj portal have reached Rs61 billion.

Of these pilgrims, 45,245 paid using One Link and 3,685 paid with debit or credit cards. Another 47,563 cleared their dues via bank challans.

Those pilgrims who have not yet paid have been asked to complete the process through NITB’s Hajj online or Pak Hajj mobile application.

The government has also made it necessary for all prospective pilgrims to undergo medical checkup. They have to download the medical fitness certificate from Hajj portal, get it validated by a registered doctor and upload it on the portal.

Pilgrims have been encouraged to keep checking Pak Hajj app for latest information and official instructions about Hajj 2027.

— The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) kicked off on a bullish note on Tuesday with the benchmark KSE-100 Index rising more than 400 points in early trade.

The index rose to 166,425 points at the start of the second trading session of the business week, indicating better market performance.

The KSE-100 Index closed down 453 points at 165,966 points in the last trading session.

The benchmark index turned positive during early trading after falling in the previous session. The latest gains were made as the benchmark index went into positive territory during early trading.

The Senate on Monday approved a bill to allow former parliamentarians to retain their official blue passports even if they quit office before completing a full term.

But a separate bill to extend the facility to their dependant children under 28 was shelved amid protests from treasury members.

The change in the Passports Act, 1974, is applicable to former members of National Assembly and Senate who took oath of office but didn’t complete the full term.

The bill still needs to be approved by the National Assembly for it to become law.

Official blue passports are issued to certain constitutional office holders, government and judiciary officials, top bureaucrats and their qualifying family.

“They offer visa-free access to 55 countries, including 22 in Europe,” the research said.

Both proposals were sponsored by Senator Abdul Qadir. The measure as passed suggests to establish a new section 3-A in the Passports Act to the effect that an ex-parliamentarian may retain and use an official passport gratis after vacating the office, whether he served a full term or merely the remainder of the term of another member.

Currently, National Assembly members can get blue passports from the day they take their oath of office. Senators have to serve a full six-year term to qualify. The proposal is aimed at removing this inequality by permitting all former members of either House to maintain their official passports even if they quit office before completing a full term.

The proposed clause says that “a retired parliamentarian who has taken oath as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) or the Senate, whether for a full term or for the remainder of the term of another member, shall, subject to such terms and conditions as may be prescribed, be entitled to retain and use the gratis official (blue) passport issued to him or her after ceasing to hold office”.

The reform would apply to lawmakers who leave the NA before five years or the Senate before six years.

Under the current Passport Rules 2021, former lawmakers are entitled to blue passports if they have served a complete term in either of the two Houses.

The statement of purposes and reasons of the bill argues that the amendment “provides parity with the privileges available to other high ranking officials and ensures uniform treatment of persons who have served the state at the highest level”.

The Senate also shelved another bill to provide blue passports to retired lawmakers’ spouses and dependant children under 28 after treasury members opposed the measure.