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ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani federal government is targeting students and unemployed individuals in a major scheme to promote the use of electric vehicles, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Friday, saying the move will save billions of dollars in fuel imports, help protect environment and promote local industry.

The prime minister said this while presiding over a meeting in Islamabad to review promotion of electric vehicles in the country and the government assistance in acquisition of electric bikes, rickshaws and loaders, according to Sharif’s office.

The proposed scheme comes amid the cash-strapped South Asian country’s efforts to avoid costly oil imports that shrank five percent to $15 billion from July 2024 till May 2025, according to latest official figures. Islamabad is currently trying to formulate a plan to make electric vehicles accessible to people.

Officials briefed participants of Friday’s meeting that steps were being taken to enable people to acquire electric bikes, rickshaws and loaders through low-cost loans and the government will assist provision of more than 100,000 electric bikes and 3,000 rickshaws and loading vehicles.

“The federal government, including the federal board, will provide electric bikes to the toppers of boards across the country,” Sharif was quoted as saying. “The government will provide electric rickshaws and loaders to unemployed people for employment on a priority basis.”

Under the scheme, which is likely to be launched soon, free electric bikes will be provided to students who have shown exceptional performance at the intermediate level in educational boards across the country, according to Sharif’s office. A special quota of 25 percent has been kept for women, while the quota of provinces has been allocated in proportion to the population.

Pakistan last month unveiled a new Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2025–2030, which targets 30 percent of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030. The policy, which covers cars, buses, motorcycles and rickshaws, aims to accelerate the country’s shift toward sustainable transport, reduce fossil fuel dependence, and curb climate-warming emissions.

Sharif instructed officials to ensure a complete ecosystem for the production and maintenance of electric vehicles in the country, preferring people belonging to the economically weaker section in the government’s scheme.

“Third-party validation should be done for the entire mechanism of distribution of electric vehicles and government assistance in it,” he said.

Officials informed the meeting’s participants that four new battery manufacturing companies are starting their operations in the country, which will create new business opportunities and employment in Pakistan.

“The prime minister instructed [officials] to ensure that the electric bikes, rickshaws and loaders provided in the proposed scheme meet the best quality and safety standards,” Sharif’s office said.

KARACHI: Nearly all cigarette retailers in Pakistan have never been contacted by tax officials, according to a new public health study that blames weak enforcement and low awareness for the country’s growing illicit tobacco trade.

The report, released on Friday by the nonprofit Umeed-e-Sehar, surveyed 2,000 retailers across seven major cities and found widespread gaps in knowledge about tax stamps, legal compliance and penalties for illegal sales. The nonprofit warned that these lapses are enabling the black market in cigarettes to thrive and undercutting public health policy and government revenues.

Pakistan’s cigarette industry sees an estimated consumption of 80 billion sticks annually, involving over 50 local and international manufacturers. Illicit sales have long been a challenge for regulators and health advocates, but the study suggests the scale of the problem may be far greater than previously acknowledged.

“97 percent of retailers reported that FBR officials had never approached them for compliance guidance, while 86 percent were unaware of government-imposed penalties for selling illicit cigarettes,” the report said.

The study, titled ‘Tax Stamps and Illicit Cigarette Sales in Pakistan: Understanding Retailers’ Knowledge Gap,’ also found that only 27 percent of retailers could differentiate between tax-paid and illicit cigarette packs while 73 percent did not know the correct placement and purpose of tax stamps:

“The majority of retailers, about 86 percent, identified price as the primary indicator of cigarette legality rather than checking for tax stamps, which only 12 percent of them considered.”

Nearly 59 percent of retailers estimated that between 30 to 60 percent of cigarette packs in their inventory lacked tax stamps, while 29 percent believed more than 60 percent were illicit.

The report noted that while the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) introduced the TransAct App to help verify tax stamps, 98 percent of the surveyed retailers were unaware of its existence, and 99 percent never used it.

“Consumer promotions and advertisements promoting cheaper, untaxed cigarettes influenced 43 percent of retailers, while 31 percent cited high demand and low pricing as major factors,” the study said.

“These results show an immediate need for stricter regulatory oversight, including increased inspection frequency and harsher penalties to curb illicit trade.”

The report recommended region-specific interventions to address localized challenges in the illicit cigarette trade and enhanced collaboration between the FBR and local law enforcement agencies, along with “targeted awareness campaigns and retailer training on tax stamps, legal requirements, and the risks of selling illicit cigarettes, supported by digital outreach and community programs.”