AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Islamabad: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar announced that over 2.2 million individuals have registered under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Special Fuel Relief Scheme. In a news conference held in Islamabad, Tarar emphasized that a significant portion, ninety-two percent, of the registrants are users of motorcycles, Qingqis, and rickshaws.
According to Radio Pakistan, Attaullah Tarar highlighted that all motorcycles, rickshaws, and Qingqis registered post-January 1, 2006, are eligible for the scheme. The Minister also stated that SMS charges for registration have been abolished and the previous limit of five liters of petrol per token has been eliminated. Beneficiaries will now receive four tokens per month, and vehicles with an engine capacity up to 800cc will enjoy a discount of one hundred rupees per liter on ten liters of petrol every ten days.
The Minister further explained that this facility is accessible at all petrol stations, which are regularly updated with instructions. Additionally, the ownership condition for motorcycles, Qingqis, and rickshaws has been removed, making the scheme more inclusive. In a single day, over 557,000 registrations were completed, with 1.9 million tokens issued so far. Among these, tokens have been distributed to 152,000 vehicles with 800cc engines, and over 545,000 tokens were issued just the day before.
Attaullah Tarar assured that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is kept apprised of the scheme’s progress in real-time, and enhancements will be made based on public feedback. The scheme targets those most in need of financial relief, with around 25 million registered motorcycles in Pakistan set to benefit. The government is addressing complaints related to the scheme and is conducting an awareness campaign to assist the public in understanding the registration process through detailed tutorials.
On another note, the Information Minister touched upon the law-and-order situation, mentioning the Islamabad High Court’s explicit orders against road blockades and disruptions to public movement. The administration is tasked with ensuring that public movement remains unobstructed, and it is the government’s duty to prevent any violent groups from entering Islamabad.