Pakistan’s Fuel Relief Initiative Reaches Nine Million Beneficiaries Amid Gulf‑Driven Price Surge

Lahore — Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik announced on Sunday that over nine million residents are now receiving benefits from Pakistan’s petrol subsidy program, according to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, as heightened costs for motorists stem from the ongoing US‑Iran conflict.

The conflict has disrupted Gulf energy supplies and shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway linking the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, placing Pakistan’s fuel imports — and consequently its households and businesses — at risk of elevated international prices.

The Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme provides motorcycle and rickshaw riders with a weekly petrol token valued at Rs500 ($1.80), while owners of cars with engines up to 800 cc receive a discount of Rs100 ($0.36) per liter on up to 10 liters every ten days. The government allocated Rs75 billion ($271 million) to fund the initiative on September 14.

At a public gathering in Lahore, Malik explained that the government aims to shield vulnerable populations from soaring petroleum costs and has limited price hikes to the extent dictated by the prevailing circumstances.

Radio Pakistan quoted Malik as saying that, since the war began, the government has avoided shifting the full burden onto the public.

Malik’s updated figure follows a Friday government report indicating that more than 7.5 million people had benefited since September 15. Officials briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that registrations had surpassed 8.4 million, and that over 10.3 million of the 12.2 million tokens distributed had been redeemed, with the program active across 129 districts.

Each redeemed token reflects a transaction rather than a unique beneficiary, as motorists may claim relief multiple times.

A recent Arab News survey of ten petrol stations in Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi revealed that many motorists are successfully obtaining subsidies, while others face registration errors, documentation hurdles, and uncertainty about resolving these issues.

Source link