ISLAMABAD, November 5, 2026: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to cancel the licences of petrol pumps that fail to provide subsidised fuel to eligible consumers under the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Programme, as government figures show that more than 15.5 million people have registered for the scheme.
Chairing a review meeting in Islamabad, the prime minister examined the programme’s implementation, subsidy disbursements and monitoring arrangements. He expressed satisfaction with the progress and transparency of the initiative while calling for strict action against petrol pumps refusing to facilitate registered beneficiaries.
According to a briefing presented at the meeting, 15,519,282 citizens have registered under the fuel subsidy programme, including approximately 15.06 million motorcycle owners and 449,000 owners of vehicles with engine capacities of up to 800cc.
Officials informed the prime minister that 63,153,685 subsidy tokens had been issued, of which 59,445,347 had been redeemed.
The briefing further revealed that Rs28.6 billion had been disbursed under the fuel subsidy scheme as of November 4, 2026.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said simplifying the registration process and subsidy collection procedures had contributed to increased enrolment, enabling more eligible citizens to benefit from the programme.
He described the technology-based subsidy system as an important development in delivering targeted financial assistance, saying it could serve as a model for future public welfare initiatives.
The prime minister also appreciated Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal IT Secretary Zarrar Hasham Khan and their team for developing the programme’s monitoring arrangements and operational dashboard.
Officials informed the meeting that separate call centres had been established for consumers and petrol pump operators to provide information about the scheme and address complaints.
Following the briefing, the prime minister instructed the relevant authorities to cancel the licences of petrol pumps that deny the subsidy facility to eligible, registered consumers.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, Special Assistant on Energy Lt Gen (retd) Zafar Iqbal and senior government officials were also present.