ISLAMABAD, October 25, 2026: The federal government has ordered audits of petrol stations with low subsidy transactions after a review of the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme revealed that around 31,000 consumers had faced difficulties accessing discounted petrol.
The review identified expired fuel tokens, registration errors, technical problems and refusal of service at filling stations as major obstacles preventing eligible consumers from receiving relief.
Under the scheme, eligible motorcycle, rickshaw, chingchi and small-car users can purchase petrol at a discount of Rs100 per litre.
Authorities have directed provincial and district administrations to examine petrol stations recording unusually low subsidy transactions and investigate complaints from consumers who were unable to redeem their fuel tokens.
More than 10,000 subsidy tokens expire
According to the review, 10,344 fuel-relief tokens expired before being redeemed.
Officials contacted approximately 31,000 consumers affected by token-related issues to determine why they had been unable to use the subsidy.
Around 11,000 consumers said they had insufficient time to redeem their tokens, while approximately 13,000 reported being denied service at petrol stations or encountering technical difficulties.
The government has directed officials to contact affected consumers again and encourage them to generate fresh tokens to access subsidized petrol.
Registration complaints raise concerns
The review also highlighted registration-related problems reported through the government’s 9771 helpline, which received approximately 3,000 calls concerning the scheme.
These included 972 registration complaints, 414 cases involving provincial mismatches, 72 incomplete registrations and 250 duplicate registration attempts requiring verification.
Officials also identified confusion among consumers and petrol station staff regarding vehicle ownership requirements.
Some applicants were reportedly told that motorcycles must be registered in their own names to qualify for the subsidy.
However, the government has relaxed this requirement for motorcycles and three-wheelers because many such vehicles are operated under open transfer letters or informal ownership arrangements.
For eligible cars with engines of up to 800cc, the subsidy remains available to the registered vehicle owner.
Petrol stations with fewer than 50 transactions face audits
The government review found that approximately four million fuel subsidy transactions had been completed at around 8,000 petrol stations nationwide.
This represents an average of approximately 500 subsidy redemptions per filling station.
Authorities have now established a minimum benchmark of 50 subsidy transactions for petrol stations.
Stations recording fewer than 50 redemptions will face audits by provincial and district administrations to determine whether operational problems or other issues are preventing consumers from accessing the scheme.
Officials will also monitor petrol stations handling unusually high transaction volumes.
Additional devices will be deployed where long queues are reported to improve the processing of subsidy claims.
Implementation problems continue
The latest review follows difficulties reported during the initial rollout of the Fuel Relief Scheme, when some petrol stations reportedly refused to provide subsidized fuel because of confusion over the digital payment system and dealer reimbursements.
Although millions of subsidy transactions have since been completed, expired tokens, registration discrepancies and problems at filling stations continue to affect some eligible consumers.
Authorities have encouraged consumers who experience service refusals or technical problems to register complaints through the official system so their cases can be investigated.
The government has also directed officials to facilitate affected applicants in obtaining new tokens and completing the subsidy process.