Prime Minister Shehbaz chairs a meeting on austerity measures. PHOTO: SCREEN CAPTURE
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the government was taking and would continue to take all possible measures to provide relief to the public during the current difficult situation.
The prime minister chaired a meeting where officials briefed him on the progress of subsidy disbursement as well as national fuel reserves and consumption.
The chief minister said passenger buses would get a monthly subsidy of Rs 100,000, while minibuses and wagons would get Rs 40,000 to avoid fare hikes. To curb the rise in prices of food and goods, trucks were allocated Rs 70,000 per month, heavy goods vehicles Rs 80,000 and delivery vans Rs 35,000.
“These amounts are being disbursed through digital wallets to ensure transparency,” he added.
Chief Minister Shehbaz noted that the grant, initially scheduled for Monday, was released on Saturday following his special directives. Provincial governments had provided vehicle and fleet details to the federal government to facilitate the program.
Read: Prime Minister orders to suspend 25% increase in toll tax amid rising fuel prices
He praised the Balochistan government for depositing its allocated share of the national package and thanked Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti.
Date: August 5, 2026.
وزenstein پیٹرولیم مصنوعات پر حفاذ پر پیش رفت کے جائزہ اجلاسکی صدارت کی. اجلاس کو سبسڈی کی فراہمی پر پیش رفت سے آگاہ کرنے کے ساتھ ساتھ ملک میں ایندھن کے ذخائر اور کھپت پر بریفنگ… pic.twitter.com/dUJBBSE7ZW
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) April 5, 2026
The prime minister urged other provinces to submit their contributions promptly. “In the last three weeks, 129 billion rupees have been provided as public aid. We cannot leave citizens alone in these difficult times,” he said.
The prime minister said an immediate Rs 80 per liter cut in petrol tax was announced, along with a Rs 6 billion subsidy from the Pakistan Railways to maintain train fares and a reduction in the 25% quarterly toll tax increase.
Read more: Prime Minister announces Rs 80 cut in petroleum tax, bringing down petrol price to Rs 378 per liter
Officials also reported that the country maintains adequate fuel reserves to meet domestic needs.
The meeting included briefings by the Intelligence Bureau on the government’s austerity measures and was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Dr Musadik Malik, Attaullah Tarar, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ahsan Iqbal, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, special assistants Talha Burki and Tariq Bajwa, DG IB, and other senior officials. officials.
