ISLAMABAD: In a bid to ease public hardship amid rising fuel costs, the federal government has rolled out a targeted petrol subsidy program — but with strict eligibility criteria.
Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja announced that only vehicles officially registered with the Excise Department will qualify for the subsidy. “Unregistered or improperly documented vehicles are excluded to ensure relief reaches genuine beneficiaries,” she said during a joint press briefing with Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani.
The subsidy, launched ahead of schedule starting Monday, is being disbursed through a digital payment system — a move ordered directly by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Provincial governments have handed over their vehicle registration data to ensure transparency, while a high-level steering committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, monitors progress with three daily reports.
Meanwhile, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, while presenting important figures regarding petroleum products, said that a huge subsidy of Rs. 100 per liter has been introduced for motorcycle owners. In the last three weeks, the government spent Rs. 129 billion to prevent price increases so that the public could be saved from additional burden.
The government says the program aims to balance fiscal responsibility with public welfare — ensuring aid is both effective and accountable.
