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In a bid to "ease the burden" of rising fuel prices caused by escalating tensions in the Middle East, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday launched a special relief scheme under which motorcyclists, rickshaw and chingchi owners, and owners of vehicles up to 800cc will receive a Rs100 per litre petrol subsidy.
Following the increase announced on Friday, petrol is now being sold at Rs375.82 per litre, while the price of high-speed diesel has risen to Rs403.32 per litre, following hikes of Rs5.02 and Rs5.28 per litre, respectively.
Announcing the scheme, the prime minister said the government was fully aware of the burden rising oil prices had placed on the public and that the people would not be left alone in these difficult times. "We are launching a special scheme to reduce the burden of rising fuel prices on those using motorcycles, rickshaws, Chingchis and small vehicles," he said.
Under the relief scheme, owners and users of motorcycles, rickshaws and other two and three-wheeled vehicles will receive Rs100 per litre relief on up to 20 litres of petrol per month. Owners of small vehicles up to 800cc engine capacity will receive Rs100 per litre relief on up to 30 litres of petrol per month.
The scheme will come into effect in Islamabad from the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, while its rollout across the rest of Pakistan — including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan — will take place from the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.
The prime minister thanked the provincial governments for their cooperation in sharing vehicle registration data to facilitate the scheme's implementation.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information Technology has outlined the procedure for eligible citizens to avail discounted petrol.
Under the scheme, citizens will be required to send REG followed by their CNIC number to 9771. They will also have to provide their vehicle number, provincial code, and registration date.
To obtain a fuel token, eligible citizens will need to send TOK to 9771. The fuel token can then be presented to obtain petrol at a discounted rate.
The ministry said motorcycles and Qingqi rickshaws will be eligible for a maximum of 20 litres of discounted petrol per month, while vehicles with engines of up to 800cc will be entitled to 30 litres of discounted petrol per month.
It is pertinent to mention here that amid heightened volatility in global oil markets triggered by renewed hostilities in the Middle East, the government had decided to shift to a daily fuel price review mechanism in July.
The government had adopted a weekly fuel price review system after the outbreak of the Middle East conflict on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz — a key maritime route that handled nearly one-fifth of global energy supplies before the war.
The further escalation followed the collapse of a fragile ceasefire reached in June between Tehran and Washington, renewing fears of a wider regional conflict and raising concerns over disruptions to energy shipments through the strategic waterway.
Before the weekly review system was introduced, petroleum prices in Pakistan were revised on a fortnightly basis.
