PESHAWAR (Kashmir English): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced a subsidy scheme for motorcyclists following the sharp increase in petrol prices across Pakistan due to the escalating regional situation.
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said that, under a proposed relief package, registered motorcycle owners across the province will receive petrol at the previous price of Rs266.17 per litre.
According to a statement, the chief minister rejected the recent increase in prices of petroleum products, saying that his government could not support any decision that put an additional burden on already struggling people.
“We believe that the increase will have an impact on around 100 million people, who have been living below the poverty line,” he said.
Subsidy on petrol
He announced Rs2,200 for registered motorcyclists, with Rs1,100 immediately and Rs1,100 later on. This means motorcycle owners registered in KP will receive a subsidy on 40 litres of petrol.
The government will spend Rs3.2 billion from the provincial treasury to finance the petrol subsidy program, he said in a statement.
Special Assistant to CM on Information, Shafiullah Jan, said that around 14 million motorcyclists in the province are expected to benefit from this relief package.
Moreover, Afridi reaffirmed that Peshawar BRT fares would not be increased despite the prevailing economic pressures.
The move comes after the federal government recently increased petrol prices by Rs55 per litre, which raised transportation costs for millions of citizens.
Furthermore, he announced the introduction of pink buses for women on the occasion of International Women’s Day, within the BRT system, to improve safe and accessible public transport for female passengers.
He said that 140 additional buses would be procured, of which 52 buses had already been manufactured.
Petrol prices increased
The federal government on Friday increased the diesel and petrol prices by Rs55 per litre starting tonight, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said, citing the surge in global prices due to the ongoing Iran-Israel and US military conflict.
Addressing the press conference along with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, the petroleum minister said that the new petrol price has been fixed at Rs321.17 per litre, effective from March 7, 2026.
Similarly, diesel price, with an increase of Rs55 per litre, would now be available for Rs 335.86 per litre from 275.7.
