Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday announced a special relief scheme providing a Rs100 per litre subsidy on petrol for motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqi rickshaws and cars with engines of up to 800cc.
“In this hour of difficulty, we will not leave the public alone,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement announcing the measure.
“To alleviate the burden of rising oil prices on users of motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingchis, and small vehicles, a special scheme is being initiated. Under the special relief scheme, petrol users of motorcycles, rickshaws, Chingchis, and vehicles up to 800cc will receive a relief of 100 rupees per litre,” the statement said.
Owners of cars with engines of up to 800cc will be eligible for the Rs100-per-litre relief on a maximum of 30 litres of petrol per month.
The announcement follows a series of increases in domestic fuel prices amid sharply higher international oil prices resulting from tensions in the Middle East.
“The government fully understands the burden being placed on the public by the increase in oil prices,” Shehbaz said. “We will not leave the people alone in this difficult time.”
The government introduced a daily petroleum pricing mechanism in July, replacing the previous weekly system as international oil markets became increasingly volatile.
Following the latest increase on Friday, petrol is priced at Rs375.82 per litre, while high-speed diesel has reached Rs403.32 per litre.
Repeated increases in fuel prices have also triggered protests in several parts of the country, with demonstrators demanding government intervention to ease the financial burden on consumers.
According to the PMO, the relief scheme will initially take effect in Islamabad from the night between Monday and Tuesday.
It will subsequently be extended across Pakistan, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, from the night between Wednesday and Thursday.