Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar says over 2.2 million people have so far been registered under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Special Fuel Relief Scheme. Addressing a news conference in Islamabad today, he said ninety-two percent of them are motorcycle, Qingqi and rickshaw users. Attaullah Tarar said all motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqis registered after January 1, 2006, are now eligible for registration under the scheme. The Minister said SMS charges for registration have also been waived, while the limit of five litres of petrol per token has been removed. He said users of motorcycles, Qingqis and rickshaws will receive four tokens per month, while vehicles up to 800cc will be provided a discount of one hundred rupees per litre on ten litres of petrol every ten days. He said this facility is available at all petrol stations, while regular instructions are being issued to petrol stations. The Minister said the condition of ownership has also been removed for motorcycle, Qingqi and rickshaw users. He said over 557,000 registrations were completed in a single day, while 1.9 million tokens have so far been issued. He further added that tokens have so far been issued to 152,000 800cc vehicles, while more than 545,000 tokens were issued during the previous day alone. The Information Minister said the Prime Minister is being kept informed about the scheme on a real-time basis and further improvements will be made in light of public feedback. He said the scheme has been introduced as a targeted subsidy for the people who are most deserving of relief. Attaullah Tarar said around 25 million motorcycles are registered in Pakistan and their users will benefit from the scheme. He said complaints regarding the fuel relief scheme are also being received and are being addressed. An awareness campaign is also being conducted to facilitate the people. The Minister said people are being provided with guidance about registration through proper tutorials for the fuel relief scheme. On the law-and-order situation, the Information Minister said the Islamabad High Court has issued clear orders regarding road blockades and disruption of public movement. He said the administration will ensure that there is no disruption to public movement. Attaullah Tarar said it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that no violent group enters Islamabad.

