Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that the disbursement of relief funds to people operating public transport and freight vehicles had begun through digital wallets.

In a post on the social media platform X, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that PM Shehbaz chaired a meeting to review the country’s petroleum reserves and the measures taken by the government to provide relief to the people during the ongoing crisis.

“The prime minister said that the disbursement of relief funds to individuals operating public transport and freight vehicles had begun through digital wallets,” it said.

“Subsidies are now being digitally transferred for public transport buses and wagons, as well as goods transport trucks and freight vehicles under an efficient and transparent system,” the premier was quoted as saying.

The prime minister added that the government was striving to ensure that relief reaches economically vulnerable groups as quickly as possible, the PMO said.

“We will not abandon our people during difficult times. The government’s top priority is providing relief to the people during challenging circumstances. The money saved through government austerity measures will be spent on the public,” the premier was quoted as saying.

According to the PMO, PM Shehbaz was briefed on the implementation and progress of the measures taken by the government in view of the hike in the prices of petroleum products.

He was informed that adequate reserves of petroleum products were available to meet the requirements of the country. The meeting was also briefed on the overall progress of the initiatives for providing relief to the people, it said.

The development comes as fuel prices have sharply increased due to the US-Israeli war on Iran. The government initially hiked petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 per litre on March 6 and announced unprecedented austerity measures on March 9 in the first steps to deal with the situation.

On three separate occasions, PM Shehbaz said that he had rejected recommendations to increase fuel prices despite an increase in the global market.

However, the government on Thursday announced an unprecedented increase of 43 per cent and 55pc in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD), respectively, citing the rising oil prices in the international market.

At the same time, the government also announced targeted relief measures; for diesel-dependent inter-city and goods transport, a subsidy of Rs100 per litre will be provided and its price will also be reviewed every month.

In addition, trucks carrying 80-85pc of food items would receive direct support of Rs70,000 per month. Large transport vehicles will be given Rs80,000 per month, while inter-city public service vehicles will receive Rs100,000 per month to help keep fares stable.

But, just a day later, PM Shehbaz slashed the petroleum levy by Rs80 per litre, bringing the price of the commodity down to Rs378 per litre. In a late-night address to the nation, the prime minister also declared that all federal cabinet members would forgo their salaries for the next six months as part of austerity measures.