- The meeting reviews oil reserves and relief measures amid the current crisis.
- Subsidies to transporters that are transferred under a transparent system.
- The government promises to prioritize aid to economically vulnerable groups.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that relief payments for public and cargo transporters were now being transferred through digital wallets as part of measures to ease the ongoing fuel crisis and support those worst affected by rising oil prices.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Shehbaz chaired a meeting to review the country’s oil reserves and the government’s measures to support people during the current crisis.
“The disbursement of relief funds to people operating public transport and freight vehicles has started through digital wallets,” the PMO quoted the prime minister as saying.
“Subsidies for public transport buses and wagons, as well as for goods transport trucks and cargo vehicles, are now being transferred digitally under an efficient and transparent system,” he added.
Sharif emphasized that the government is working to ensure that aid reaches economically vulnerable groups as quickly as possible.
“We will not abandon our people in difficult times.”
The government’s top priority is to provide relief to people during difficult circumstances.
“The money saved through the government’s austerity measures will be spent on the public,” he said.
The statement said Prime Minister Shehbaz was updated on the progress of initiatives aimed at cushioning the impact of rising oil prices.
He was assured that there are sufficient fuel reserves to meet the country’s needs.
The briefing also covered the general implementation of relief measures for the public.
The announcement comes after fuel prices rose sharply due to the US-Israel conflict with Iran, according to the PMP statement.
It may be noted that the prices of the two most consumed fuels (petrol and diesel) increased by Rs 55 per liter on March 6, and the government introduced strict austerity measures on March 9 to address the situation.
Since then, fuel prices have seen a massive rise due to high crude oil prices around the world, unleashing an unprecedented wave of inflation in the country.
