Free Public Transport as Energy Crisis Bites in Pakistan

State-run public transport in Pakistan's capital and most populous province will be free for the coming month, officials said on Friday, after the government drastically raised fuel prices due to spiking global energy prices caused by the Iran war.

The announcement follows a late-night decision to impose a 42.7-percent rise in the price of petrol and 54.9 percent on diesel, which prompted several street protests.

Long queues of motorbikes were also seen at fuel stations. "All public transport in Islamabad will be made free of cost for the general public for



the next 30 days, starting tomorrow (Saturday)," interior minister Mohsin Naqvi wrote on X. The government will bear a burden of 350 million rupees (around $1.25 million), he added. 

The chief minister of Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab, also lifted the cost of travel for state-run public transport, and announced "targeted subsidies" for trucks and buses.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif urged operators not to pass on increased costs to passengers and consumers, and added: "We promise to relieve the public of economic burden as soon as conditions improve."