ISLAMABAD, September 15, 2026: Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik has said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif fully understands the difficulties being faced by ordinary people and has decided to provide targeted relief to low-income fuel consumers.
Speaking at a press conference on the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme in Islamabad, Musadik Malik said the government was trying to protect poor families from the impact of rising fuel prices while managing the pressure on the national economy.
Under the scheme, motorcycle users will receive relief on up to five litres of petrol every week, while people using vehicles up to 800cc will receive relief on 10 litres every 10 days.
The minister gave examples of families that could benefit from the programme. He said women who use Qingqi rickshaws to earn a living would also be eligible for the relief. He cited the example of a woman named Zainab, who supports a family of five and could use the fuel relief to help pay her children’s school expenses.
He also mentioned a family where a man uses a small 800cc car to travel to a factory while his wife uses the same vehicle to take their children to school. According to the minister, the family would receive relief on 30 litres of petrol, amounting to Rs3,000.
Musadik Malik said the government wanted to reduce petrol prices for everyone, but the Prime Minister had directed that priority should be given to poorer sections of society.
He said the current relief package does not mean that fuel prices have become low. However, the government has tried to provide as much relief as the economy can currently afford.
The minister said petrol carries an Rs80 levy and an additional Rs5 carbon levy, making the total Rs85, while the Prime Minister has announced Rs100 in relief for eligible consumers. He said the relief provided to poor people was therefore higher than the stated levy and carbon tax.
Musadik Malik acknowledged that the relief was still not enough and said the burden of petrol prices remained high. He added that the government would continue the relief as long as the economy could sustain it.
He also said Pakistan’s political and military leadership was working for peace in the region. According to the minister, reducing conflict would not only benefit Pakistan but could also provide relief to poor people across the world by easing pressure on global fuel prices.
The Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme has already started in Islamabad and is expected to be launched in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the four provinces over the coming days.
Eligible citizens will have to register to receive the benefit. The government is publicising the registration procedure through television advertisements and an official website, while facilitation stalls are also being planned at different locations.
Musadik Malik said the government’s broader objective was to help families maintain a dignified life, including sending children to school, providing medical care for elderly parents and meeting basic household needs.
He said whenever an external economic shock puts additional pressure on people, the government has two choices: pass the burden on to the public or absorb part of it itself. He said the Prime Minister had decided that when the burden becomes too heavy for poor families, the government should try to stand between them and the economic shock like a shield.
