Jhelum: PM fuel relief scheme inspected, historic library reopens

Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani visited petrol pumps across Jhelum to personally oversee the implementation of the Prime Minister's Fuel Relief Scheme, assisting citizens with motorcycle and small-vehicle subsidy registration on the spot. The same week saw Jhelum's 90-year-old public library reopen after a months-long renovation funded at $36,000, returning nearly 4,000 books and a new computer lab to the Punjab city.

🗳️ Minister Kayani Reviews PM Fuel Relief Scheme Implementation at Jhelum Petrol Pumps

Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani made a hands-on visit to multiple petrol pumps in Jhelum to review how the Prime Minister's Fuel Relief Scheme was being implemented at the ground level. The scheme provides subsidised petrol to owners of motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqi rickshaws and vehicles with engine capacity up to 800cc — transport categories that are central to the livelihoods and daily mobility of lower and middle-income households across Pakistan. Citizens wishing to benefit register through an SMS-based process by texting a designated number, after which they receive fuel relief tokens redeemable at participating stations. At each stop, Kayani observed the registration camps that had been established at the pumps and personally assisted residents in completing the token application process, including filling petrol into the motorcycles of eligible beneficiaries after their tokens were issued. He directed the district administration to set up additional registration camps near the DHQ Hospital and government colleges to improve accessibility for citizens who may not easily reach petrol station locations. The visit reflected the government's stated commitment to ensuring that relief measures reach intended beneficiaries rather than being absorbed in administrative inefficiency. [2]

🪔 Jhelum's 90-Year-Old Library Gets New Life After Months of Restoration

One of Jhelum's most enduring civic institutions has been given a new lease of life after a months-long restoration programme that has brought the 90-year-old public library back into service. The renovation, carried out at an estimated cost of $36,000, has restored the library's historic reading hall, fitted it with nearly 4,000 books and installed a computer lab to bring digital learning resources within reach of the local community. Arab News Pakistan reported on the reopening, noting that the project was explicitly intended to revive a reading culture in a city where literary heritage is an important part of civic identity. Officials involved in commissioning the renovation described the library as a landmark that deserved investment commensurate with its history and its potential to serve students, researchers and general readers across the district. The addition of a computer lab addresses a recognised gap: many young people in Pakistani cities lack affordable access to computers and internet connectivity outside their schools, and library-based digital resources can fill part of that gap. The restoration was welcomed by educators and community groups who had been advocating for reinvestment in Jhelum's public cultural infrastructure. [4]

🗳️ Bridges Over the Jhelum River Put on Alert Ahead of PTI March

Pakistani authorities were reported to be preparing contingency measures that included potentially blocking bridges over the Jhelum and Chenab rivers in advance of a planned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf march. The Jhelum River, which gives the city its name and runs through the surrounding region, has long been a strategic crossing point along major road arteries in Punjab — making control of the bridges over it a significant logistical consideration during large political mobilisations. The PTI, Pakistan's main opposition party, has conducted a series of large protest marches in recent years that have prompted security authorities to pre-position personnel and, in some instances, close key transport corridors to constrain movement toward the capital. The reported preparations at bridges over the Jhelum reflected the broader pattern of administrative precautions that have accompanied PTI mobilisations since the political tensions of 2023 onwards. Residents and businesses along the route were advised to prepare for potential disruptions to road traffic in the days surrounding the planned march, while law enforcement agencies indicated that security deployments would be calibrated to the scale of the actual movement. [1]

Sources: [2] RADIO PAKISTAN · [4] Arab News PK · [1] UA.NEWS