Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, November 5, 2026, directed authorities to cancel the licences of petrol pumps that refuse subsidised fuel to registered beneficiaries of the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Programme, after a review meeting in Islamabad found more than 15.5 million citizens had signed up for the scheme.
What happened?
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad on November 5 to review progress on the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Programme. He directed strict action, including cancellation of operating licences, against petrol pumps that do not provide subsidised fuel to registered beneficiaries. He said he was satisfied with the programme’s progress and transparency, and noted that simpler registration and subsidy procedures had increased the number of people signing up.
Key details
- A total of 15,519,282 citizens have registered under the programme so far, including 15.06 million motorcycle owners and around 449,000 owners of vehicles of up to 800cc.
- A total of 63,153,685 subsidy tokens have been issued, of which 59,445,347 have been redeemed, a redemption rate of just over 94 percent.
- Total payments under the programme reached Rs28.6 billion as of November 4, 2026.
- The scheme was launched on September 13, 2026, and offers a subsidy of Rs100 per litre to low- and middle-income households.
- Separate call centres have been set up for consumers and petrol pump operators to answer queries and handle complaints.
What it means for people in Pakistan
Registered beneficiaries who are turned away from a petrol pump should report the matter through the programme’s consumer call centre, as pumps that deny the subsidy now risk losing their licences. For the millions of motorcyclists and small-car owners already registered, the order is meant to make sure the relief actually reaches them at the pump. People who have not yet registered can still sign up for the scheme.
