Pakistan on Friday announced free public transportation in its capital, Islamabad, for one month, as the government moves to ease the burden of rising fuel prices driven by the ongoing Middle East conflict.

"All public transport in Islamabad will be made free of cost for the general public for the next 30 days, starting tomorrow," Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement on X.

The ministry will bear the expenditure of 350 million Pakistani rupees ($1.2 million) for the initiative, he said.

The country has increased fuel prices on Thursday, hiking the price of petrol per liter to 458.4 Pakistani rupees ($1.64) from 321.17 ($1.15), and high-speed diesel to 520.35 rupees ($1.86) from 335.86 ($1.20).

The developments come as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for oil and gas shipments, has sharply declined amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

About 20 million barrels of oil pass through the strait daily, and its disruption has driven up oil prices as well as shipping and insurance costs, fueling global economic concerns.