• PM Office says almost 43,000 successfully registered for fuel relief scheme in 24 hours
• Tarar says decision on cost-cutting steps to be made soon; ‘war room’ set up to monitor subsidy scheme
• Petrol dealers term existing mechanism not ‘practically implementable’

ISLAMABAD: After introducing a nationwide scheme to subsidise petrol for smaller vehicles and motorcycles, the federal government plans to revive austerity measures to conserve fuel amid escalating conflict in the Middle East that has disrupted oil supplies from Gulf countries.

At a press conference in the federal capital on Monday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, flanked by the ministers for IT and petroleum, said the government would revive austerity measures similar to those introduced during a previous fuel conservation drive in March this year.

Mr Tarar added that “the austerity measures previously taken […] were being reviewed to assess which of them needed to be revived in the present situation”. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered consultations to reintroduce restrictions and a decision in this regard would be made soon, said the minister.

It may be noted that the government ended the measures on June 19, except for market timings.

According to Mr Tarar, a steering committee for the enforcement of the scheme would include the chief secretaries of all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan. The minister said a “war room” and a call centre had been established under the scheme to ensure “constant monitoring continues over it”.

IT and Telecommunication Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the government was also launching a campaign aimed at raising public awareness about fraudulent calls and messages being made in the name of the fuel relief scheme. Ms Fatima said the government was not charging any registration fee, and that complete information about the scheme was available on the government website.

According to the IT minister, motorcycles up to 15 years old and cars up to 20 years old would qualify for the scheme. Under the scheme, a discount of Rs100 per litre will be available to registered consumers across the country. The monthly subsidy limit is 30 litres for cars and 20 litres for motorcycles.

PM reviews scheme

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz chaired a meeting to review and simplify the registration process for the fuel relief package, as the Economic Coordination Committee approved a summary by the Petroleum Division for the relief scheme.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the meeting was informed that more than 600,000 SMS messages had been received in the Islamabad region by Monday afternoon since the launch of the scheme. “Of these, 42,933 applicants had successfully registered for the PM Special Relief Scheme,” a press release said.

The PM was informed that only four pieces of information would be required for registration — the applicant’s national identity card number, vehicle number plate, province of registration, and vehicle registration date.

“Every possible assistance should be provided to the public during registration and completion of other necessary steps,” the PM said, directing that elected representatives and volunteers across the country be mobilised to help people complete registration and other requirements for the fuel subsidy. The prime minister ordered an extensive media awareness campaign on the scheme, saying it should be accelerated across print, electronic, digital and social media platforms.

“All available means should be utilised to ensure that the benefits of the fuel subsidy scheme reach the maximum number of eligible citizens,” he said, adding that timely information and guidance should be provided to ensure the scheme’s success.

ECC approves summary

Earlier, the ECC meeting approved the summary regarding the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme. The scheme envisages targeted relief for lower-income segments in the wake of increased petroleum prices.

Under the scheme, two- and three-wheelers will receive relief of Rs500 per week, equivalent to 5 litres at Rs100 per litre, while cars up to 800cc will receive relief of Rs1,000 every 10 days, based on 30 litres per month at Rs100 per litre.

The scheme will be restricted to non-commercial users, with relief limited to one vehicle per user. The Ministry of IT and Telecom will deploy and manage the Fuel Pass System (FPS) for digital management and transparent delivery of the relief.

Fuel dealers express concern

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) expressed serious concerns over the relief scheme, saying the existing mechanism is not practically implementable for petrol dealers.

PPDA Chairman Malik Khuda Baksh said, “In the era of artificial intelligence, there is a risk of fraud through fake IDs, and in such cases, dealers could potentially have to bear the resulting financial losses.”

Malik Khuda Baksh demanded an immediate and comprehensive revision of the scheme, saying the relief should be provided through the government and oil marketing companies (OMCs), rather than making petrol dealers responsible for its implementation.

“Besides, we are not aware of the implementation of the scheme, and the resulting public complaints or operational difficulties would be directed at the petroleum dealers,” he added.

Mubarak Zeb Khan also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2026