The federal government is moving forward with plans to introduce a digital fuel management system across petrol pumps nationwide, a step that could lead to fixed petrol quotas for private vehicle owners.
Under the proposed framework, citizens may be assigned a monthly fuel limit linked to their personal vehicles. Once implemented, individuals would not be allowed to purchase petrol beyond their allocated quota.
Officials say most preparatory work for the system has already been completed. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has finalized testing of mobile devices that will be installed at fuel stations to digitally record fuel transactions in real time.
According to official documents, the National Information Technology Board (NITB) has verified the mobile handsets to be used by oil marketing companies, while testing of the fuel management application designed for these devices has also been successfully completed.
The Ministry of IT has submitted the project summary to the Cabinet Division for further approval. In addition, the IT Secretary has formally requested coordination from relevant authorities to advance implementation of the digital monitoring system.
The ministry has asked the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to issue directives to oil marketing companies regarding procurement of the required mobile devices. Only handsets approved by both NITB and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will be permitted for operational use.
Each approved device, estimated to cost around Rs36,000, will enable digital tracking and monitoring of fuel sales at petrol pumps across Pakistan. The financial responsibility for supplying these devices will rest with oil marketing companies, while NITB will oversee procurement and distribution after payments are processed through OGRA.
Under the rollout plan, oil marketing companies will distribute the approved handsets to petrol stations nationwide. Officials state that system testing, device verification, and operational assessments have largely been completed, bringing the project close to execution.
The proposed petrol quota system will operate through a dedicated mobile application developed under the Pakistan Digital Authority initiative, marking a significant shift toward digital regulation, transparency, and centralized monitoring of fuel sales in Pakistan.
