ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has provided fuel subsidies to more than 10 million low-income people in recent weeks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday, pledging continued relief as the U.S.-Iran war drives up energy costs and strains household budgets.
The number of beneficiaries is up from the more than 9 million reported by officials on Tuesday.
Sharif said in a televised address that the government had allocated 75 billion rupees ($268 million) for fuel discounts to motorcycle riders, rickshaw operators and small-car owners.
His remarks came a day after the International Monetary Fund reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan that would unlock about $1.2 billion, subject to approval by the fund’s executive board. The deal covers reviews of Pakistan’s $7 billion bailout program and a $1.4 billion resilience and sustainability facility.
Pakistan’s fuel prices have risen by more than 50% since the war began earlier this year, pushing up transportation, food and other living costs. The government says the subsidies are intended to help low-income motorists buy gasoline at prewar prices.
Eligible motorists receive a token by text message and present it at a participating gas station, where staff verify their eligibility before applying the discount. Motorcyclists, rickshaw drivers and small-car owners are often seen redeeming the tokens at participating stations.
Motorcycle and three-wheeler users qualify for a weekly discount of 500 rupees ($1.79), capped at four tokens a month, according to the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.
Owners of eligible small cars receive a discount of 100 rupees (36 cents) per liter on up to 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of gasoline every 10 days. They can redeem up to three tokens a month, saving as much as 3,000 rupees ($10.71).
Sharif credited Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja and her team with developing the digital system in coordination with the Information Ministry, Petroleum Division and other departments. He said cooperation between federal and provincial authorities had helped deliver assistance directly and transparently.
He estimated that the program was benefiting about 50 million people when recipients’ families were included. That estimate assumes an average household size of five for each of the roughly 10 million people receiving fuel subsidies.
The subsidies were announced after Jamaat-e-Islami, a major Islamist political party, threatened to march on Islamabad to demand cuts in gasoline and diesel taxes.
Sharif also announced an award for Khawaja and recognition for other officials and teams involved in implementing the program.
A motorcyclist gets fuel on subsidised rates in a recently government scheme for low income people, at a fuel station, in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Motorcyclists receives a token for fuel at subsidized rates under a recently introduced government scheme for low-income people at a fuel station, in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Residents along the U.S. Gulf Coast boarded up windows and picked up last-minute supplies on Friday as Isaias strengthened into a major hurricane and carved a path toward the Alabama-Florida line.
The Category 3 hurricane — the first of an unusually quiet Atlantic season — is expected to make landfall Friday night and bring significant storm surge, damaging winds, flooding and possibly even tornadoes before scattering strong winds and rain well north into Atlanta.
Isaias is expected to come ashore between Mobile Bay on the Alabama coast and the city of Destin in the Florida Panhandle — a region known for powdery white sand beaches dotted with vacation homes, waterfront bars and seafood shacks.
Anne Petzold, who lives with her husband in the panhandle beach community of Gulf Breeze, said Friday that they and all of their neighbors plan to ride out the storm. The couple put up hurricane shutters, put away anything in their yard that could turn into a projectile, stocked up on food and water, and have two generators ready if they lose power.
“Everybody does what they can do, everybody asks if they need help — they ask for help, they offer help. All good,” she said. “It’s just another adventure.”
Neighbor Jay Brazzell said he gassed up his car and made sure he'll have enough water but decided to stay put because Isaias isn't as powerful as other hurricanes he's experienced.
“I mean I’m not boarding up,” said Brazzell, 69. “I’ve been through, this being, the ninth hurricane.”
Dangerous conditions are expected throughout the western panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center said. Rain began falling along the coast Friday morning, and tropical storm-force winds were expected by early afternoon.
A storm surge as high as 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) is likely in some coastal areas, according to the hurricane center. Places most at risk include Florida's Pensacola Beach and the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents to expect flooding, wind damage, power outages and gasoline shortages.
“When the water’s rising and things are happening, it’s a very, very difficult conundrum and you do not want to be caught in that,” he said.
The hurricane center said Friday morning that time was running out to make preparations “as the weather will go downhill quickly today.”
As of late morning, the storm was centered less than 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Pensacola and moving to the north-northeast, the center said. It was packing 120 mph (193 kph) sustained winds Friday morning and picking up speed. Category 3 storms are considered major hurricanes and are capable of causing devastation.
Once Isaias comes ashore, it is expected to weaken until it is downgraded to a tropical storm by Saturday afternoon, the hurricane center said.
Still, heavy rain is forecast as it moves inland, with 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) or even more expected through the weekend from southern Alabama to southwestern Georgia.
Isaias, which will be the first hurricane to hit the eastern U.S. since Milton tore up the Gulf Coast of Florida in 2024, also is expected to bring heavy rain and potential flooding to much of the Southeast over the weekend, and then to parts of the Midwest and Northeast into Monday.
A hurricane warning was in place from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the western Florida Panhandle.
Preparations have been going on for days. On Thursday, residents boarded up windows and stacked sandbags while thousands of National Guard soldiers were deployed.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday ordered non-residents to immediately evacuate Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island. Videos on social media showed traffic at a standstill on a highway leading out of Gulf Shores, where double-red beach flags signaled water access was closed.
Several counties announced mandatory evacuations for some coastal areas while Florida and Alabama declared states of emergency for dozens of counties.
On Dauphin Island, a barrier island off the Alabama coast, Mayor Jeff Collier said he did not anticipate substantial damage, “but at the same time, these things are very fickle and a little jog here or there, or some last-minute increase in strength — we just have to be prepared for the worst.”
Meanwhile in the Pacific, Hurricane Simon became a Category 2 hurricane on Friday and was expected to strengthen further before making landfall in Mexico this weekend.
Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut, and Bates reported from Gulf Breeze, Florida. These Associated Press journalists also contributed: Gerald Herbert in Pensacola, Florida; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Hallie Golden in Seattle; John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; and Laura Turbay in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Shahar David, employee at Cafe Bistro, feeds his family before closing as Hurricane Isaias approaches Pensacola Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Jason Coffey boards up a convenience store at a gas station as Hurricane Isaias approaches Pensacola Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Residents pick up sandbags for storm preparation at the James Seals Jr. Parks & Recreation Center ahead of Hurricane Isaias' expected landfall along the Gulf Coast, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Octavio Jones)
Marine flags flap in the wind generated by the effects of Isaias as a vehicle passes on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in Dauphin Island, Ala. (AP Photo/Octavio Jones)
Surfers swim out to waves as Hurricane Isaias approaches Pensacola Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Silas Bowles, of Gulf Breeze, Fla. films the surf as Hurricane Isaias approaches Pensacola Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Mike Howard, foreground, and Joshua Brown board up Perdido Key Sports Bar as Hurricane Isaias approaches Perdido Key, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People walk on the beach at sunset as Hurricane Isaias approaches Pensacola Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Daniel and Brand Harp, of Lebanon Tenn., here on vacation, pack their belongings to evacuate in the morning as Hurricane Isaias approaches Pensacola Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Isaias in the Gulf of Mexico, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AP)
Larry Smith boards up his home with plywood ahead of Hurricane Isaias' expected landfall along the Gulf Coast in Dauphin Island, Alabama, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Octavio Jones)
