Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to cancel the licences of petrol pumps that refuse to provide fuel subsidies to registered beneficiaries under the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Programme.
The directive was issued during a meeting on Thursday to review the programme’s progress, where the prime minister expressed satisfaction with its implementation, registration process and transparency.
Shehbaz Sharif said simplified registration and subsidy disbursement procedures had increased participation, allowing more deserving citizens to benefit from the initiative. He described the technology-based subsidy mechanism as a model for future public welfare programmes, highlighting its potential to improve transparency and service delivery.
The prime minister also appreciated Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima, Federal Secretary IT Zarar Hashim Khan and their teams for developing the monitoring system and digital dashboard supporting the programme.
Officials informed the meeting that 15,519,282 citizens had registered under the scheme as of November 5, 2026. The registered beneficiaries included approximately 15.06 million motorcycle owners and 449,000 owners of vehicles with engine capacities of up to 800cc.
The programme had issued 63,153,685 fuel subsidy tokens, of which 59,445,347 had been redeemed. Payments amounting to Rs28.6 billion had been disbursed under the initiative as of November 4, 2026.
To improve access to information and strengthen complaint handling, separate call centres have also been established for consumers and petrol pump operators. These facilities are intended to provide programme-related guidance and address issues faced by beneficiaries and participating fuel stations.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik and other senior government officials.
The prime minister’s directive places additional responsibility on fuel retailers to ensure that eligible citizens receive the announced subsidy. The government is relying on digital monitoring, token-based disbursement and complaint management mechanisms to oversee implementation and address violations across the distribution network.
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