PM Shehbaz chairs a meeting on austerity measures. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday that the government was taking and would continue to take all possible measures to provide relief to the public during the current challenging 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 premier said passenger buses would receive a monthly subsidy of Rs100,000, while mini-buses and wagons would get Rs40,000 to prevent fare increases. To curb rising food and goods prices, trucks were allocated Rs70,000, heavy cargo vehicles Rs80,000 and delivery vans Rs35,000 per month.
“These amounts are being disbursed through digital wallets to ensure transparency,” he added.
PM Shehbaz noted that the subsidy, 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 programme.
Read: PM orders suspension of 25% toll tax hike amid rising fuel prices
He praised the Balochistan government for depositing its allocated share of the national package and thanked Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti.
لاہور: 5 اپریل 2026.
وزیرِ اعظم محمد شہباز شریف نے خطے میں حالیہ کشیدگی کے دوران پیٹرولیم مصنوعات پر حکومت کی جانب سے سبسڈی کے نفاذ 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 بھی 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 past three weeks, Rs129 billion has been delivered as public relief. We cannot leave citizens alone in these challenging times,” he said.
The prime minister said that an immediate Rs80 per litre cut in the petrol levy was announced, along with a Rs6b subsidy from Pakistan Railways to maintain train fares and a rollback of the 25% quarterly toll tax increase.
Read more: PM announces Rs80 cut in petroleum levy, lowering petrol price to Rs378 per litre
Officials also reported that the country maintains adequate fuel reserves to meet domestic needs.
The meeting included briefings from the Intelligence Bureau on government 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.
