The government has assured petroleum dealers that claims under the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme will be processed within 48 hours, as both sides reached an understanding on the payment mechanism for the program.

Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik held a meeting with representatives of petroleum pump dealers’ associations on Thursday to brief them on the implementation mechanism for the scheme.

The meeting was informed that funds for three months had been earmarked for the Fuel Relief Scheme. Of this amount, Rs. 25 billion for the first month had already been provided to the State Bank of Pakistan to facilitate timely reimbursement to participating petroleum dealers.

The State Bank briefed the participants on the reimbursement process and assured them that claims submitted under the scheme would be processed within 48 hours.

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications also briefed the participants on the digital system developed to implement the scheme. A dedicated control room has been established to assist petrol pumps and address their questions and complaints. Petrol pumps can contact the control room at 9772.

The petroleum pump and dealers’ associations welcomed the scheme and assured the government of their cooperation in its implementation. They also raised questions and concerns about the operational mechanism, which were addressed during the meeting.

PPDA office bearers said successful negotiations with the government had ended the deadlock over the Fuel Relief Package and that dealers had started implementing the scheme.

The association expressed hope that timely implementation of the agreed payment mechanism would address the concerns of petroleum dealers.

Ali Pervaiz Malik appreciated the cooperation of petroleum dealers and stressed the importance of coordination among all stakeholders to ensure the relief program is implemented effectively, transparently, and on time.