ISLAMABAD, SEP 13: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday launched a special relief scheme providing Rs100 per litre discount on petrol for motorcyclists, rickshaw and chingchi owners and drivers of vehicles up to 800cc, as the government moved to cushion the public from rising fuel prices driven by tensions in the Middle East.
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.
Registration for the special relief scheme has been launched with immediate effect, with the government saying it would reach the public through an awareness campaign explaining the registration process. The prime minister thanked the provincial governments for their cooperation in sharing vehicle registration data to facilitate the scheme’s implementation.
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.
