No Internet Needed! Pakistan Expands Fuel Subsidy Access to Petrol Stations Without Internet

Pakistan has taken another step to expand access to its Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme by allowing fuel relief tokens to be redeemed through SMS at petrol stations located in areas without internet connectivity. The decision is aimed at ensuring that people in remote and poorly connected areas are not excluded simply because a petrol station cannot access an internet-based system.

The approval was given by the National Steering Committee on Fuel Subsidy during a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on September 19, 2026. According to the official announcement, provincial governments, along with the administrations of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, have been asked to identify petrol stations without internet connectivity so they can be brought into the relief system.

The latest change is particularly important for areas where internet service is weak, unreliable or unavailable. Previously, the fuel relief programme relied heavily on digital systems for token processing at participating petrol stations. The new SMS-based mechanism is intended to bridge that connectivity gap.

The government has confirmed that fuel tokens can now be redeemed through SMS at designated stations operating without internet access. This means the availability of internet at a petrol station will no longer be the only route for processing an eligible customer's fuel relief token.

However, this does not mean that every petrol station in the country can immediately process fuel tokens offline. Authorities are first compiling lists of stations that lack internet connectivity and are working to bring operational stations onto the scheme.

The government has also kept registration accessible through ordinary SMS. Citizens can register for the scheme by sending the required information to 9771. This SMS-based approach is intended to make the programme accessible to people who may not have smartphones, mobile applications or reliable internet access.

The government has also announced that SMS charges under the scheme have been abolished, further reducing the cost of accessing the programme. According to reports, more than 1.75 million registrations had been completed by September 19, while around 1.5 million tokens had been generated at that point.

The Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme was introduced to provide targeted assistance to lower-income users affected by higher petroleum prices. The initial framework approved by the Economic Coordination Committee provides relief for motorcycles and three-wheelers, as well as cars with engines up to 800cc, subject to the scheme's eligibility requirements.

Under the approved structure, two- and three-wheelers were allocated fuel relief of Rs500 per token, while eligible cars up to 800cc were allocated Rs1,000 for ten days, based on the scheme's prescribed monthly fuel-relief limits.

The government subsequently revised several conditions. Among the changes reported on September 20 was the removal of the previous five-litre limit per token for eligible two- and three-wheeler users. Eligible users can receive up to four Rs500 tokens per month under the revised mechanism.

The latest decision also focuses on improving the coverage of participating petrol stations. The National Steering Committee directed authorities to bring every open and operational fuel station onto the system.

At the same time, permanently closed stations and stations dealing exclusively in diesel are to be identified and removed from the programme's list. The objective is to keep the system's database aligned with actual petrol station operations across the country.

The State Bank of Pakistan has also reported that payment claims received from participating fuel stations during the preceding days had been settled on the same day. The Petroleum Division previously said that dealers would receive reimbursement through the established mechanism, with claims targeted for processing within 48 hours.

The introduction of SMS-based redemption could make the fuel relief programme more accessible in rural, remote and poorly connected parts of Pakistan. Instead of requiring every participating petrol station to have reliable internet access, the