Pakistan Raises Fuel Prices Amid Global Energy Crisis, Offers Free Public Transport in Capital

The Iran-US war has led to a global energy crisis. India's neighbour Pakistan is no exception. It has recently raised petrol and diesel prices significantly. Meanwhile, Pakistan has announced to make public transport free in the capital Islamabad for the next one month. The Pakistan government had raised fuel prices due to the spike in global energy prices caused by the Iran war. The announcement came after a late-night decision that raised petrol prices by 42.7% and diesel prices by 54.9%. The hike also led to protests on the streets. Long queues of motorcycles were seen at petrol and diesel pumps. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi wrote on X, "All public transport in Islamabad will be free for the general public for the next 30 days, starting Saturday." He further said that the government will have to bear the burden of subsidised public transport buses of Punjab province, which has a population of about 350 million ($1.25 million). The Chief Minister of Punjab also removed the state's bus fare. "Punjab's public transport is the most subsidised."