ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday extended the deadline for the second installment of Hajj payments under its government scheme until midnight tonight after 1,200 aspiring pilgrims failed to pay on time, warning that their applications would be canceled unless they cleared their dues by then.

The country is preparing for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, with intending pilgrims enrolled in the government scheme required to pay their dues in installments. Nearly 97,000 applicants had paid the second installment by Tuesday, when the original deadline expired.

“Some 1,200 Hajj pilgrims did not deposit their second installment by the stipulated deadline,” the Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a statement.

It urged those who missed the deadline to complete their payments by midnight Wednesday, saying individual reminders were also being sent to applicants with outstanding dues.

“Today is the last chance for the remaining Hajj pilgrims to pay their outstanding dues,” it added. “If they fail to make the payment today, their applications will be canceled and their first installments refunded.”

The ministry said on Tuesday it had received Rs61 billion ($216 million) in second-instalment payments through the digital Hajj portal.

Authorities have advised pilgrims to use the National Information Technology Board’s Hajj portal or the Pak Hajj mobile application to complete their payments.

Applicants are also required to download a medical fitness certificate from the Hajj portal, have it verified by a doctor and upload the authenticated document to the same platform.

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is obligatory once in a lifetime for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake the journey.