Islamabad: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has reaffirmed the government's commitment to shielding citizens from the surging global fuel prices, emphasizing that this remains a top priority. Responding to a calling attention notice in the Senate, he highlighted the government's proactive measures, which included a substantial subsidy of 129 billion rupees on petroleum products over a three-week period during the initial phase of the Middle East conflict.
According to Radio Pakistan, the Finance Minister elaborated on the government's strategy to transition to a targeted subsidy model. This approach is designed to ensure that the financial relief directly benefits the public. Aurangzeb explained that the targeted subsidies have specifically supported motorcyclists, the transport sector, and small-scale farmers. Approximately 800,000 bikers have already benefited from this initiative, with 1.53 billion rupees disbursed through a highly transparent process.
Aurangzeb also underscored the government's success in revenue collection, noting that the Federal Board of Revenue's collections have effectively doubled, increasing from seven trillion rupees to nearly thirteen trillion rupees under the current administration's efforts.
Furthermore, Prime Minister's Advisor on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, addressed the issue of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He asserted that the government has made extensive efforts to resolve the issues through negotiations. However, the banned Joint Action Committee resorted to violence, complicating the situation. The Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir's opinion on the Presidential Reference has validated the government's stance on refugee seats, rejecting the politics of protests. Sanaullah affirmed that the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government would address the actions of Indian puppets in accordance with the law.
Meanwhile, the Senate passed five significant bills today. These include "The Motion Pictures (Amendment) Bill, 2024," "The Travel Agencies (Amendment) Bill, 2026," "The Pakistan Tourist Guides (Amendment) Bill, 2026," "The Pakistan Hotels and Restaurants (Amendment) Bill, 2026," and "The Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (Conversion) (Repeal) Bill, 2026." The House will reconvene on Friday at 5:30 p.m.