It sounds weird but it is something under consideration as a new proposal has been tabled to give a Rs150 billion subsidy on petrol to motorcyclists as Pakistan closes in on locking the $6 billion International Monetary Fund deal.

Under the package, the Rs150 billion will be recovered from car owners, who would pay an additional Rs25 to Rs50 per litre on petrol.

“The proposal is to raise the petrol price in the range of Rs300 to Rs325 per litre for car owners but reduce it to Rs250 to Rs225 per litre for motorcyclists,” The Express Tribune said, citing sources.

The proposal came at a time when the State Bank of Pakistan and the finance ministry are busy fulfilling the IMF’s conditions to secure the bailout.

Despite the financial woes and IMF’s demands, the government is still keen on providing the subsidy to give some sort of relief to the lower and middle-class.

The international fund gave a long list of demands before leaving the country last month. The IMF’s prerequisites aim to ensure Pakistan shrinks its fiscal deficit ahead of its annual budget around June.

Pakistan has already taken most of the other prior actions, which included hikes in fuel and energy tariffs, the withdrawal of subsidies in export and power sectors, and generating more revenues through new taxation in a supplementary budget.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has continuously said that the IMF help will arrive ‘any day now’. However, as the days since the IMF team’s departure from Islamabad turn to weeks, pressure on Dar has increased in the face of historically high inflation coupled with low forex reserves.