Petrol Price Raised by Rs1.20 Per Litre After Five-Day Pause
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has increased the price of petrol by Rs1.20 per litre for the next 24 hours, ending a five-day stretch without an upward revision, according to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).
The new price of motor spirit (MS) petrol stands at Rs393.86 per litre. High-speed diesel, meanwhile, saw a small reduction of Re0.17 and will sell at Rs396.65 per litre over the same period.
The revision marks the first increase in the petrol price increase Pakistan has seen in five days. On Tuesday, the government had cut the petrol price by Rs2.71 to Rs392.66 per litre and trimmed diesel by three paisas to Rs396.82, a move that brought brief relief to motorists after a long climb.
Daily revisions keep prices moving
Pakistan moved to daily fuel price revisions earlier this year, replacing the previous fortnightly system. Under the new mechanism, OGRA notifies revised rates every 24 hours based on international oil prices and the exchange rate.
Since the daily revision system began, the cumulative movement has been steep. Petrol has risen by Rs82.71 per litre in total, while diesel is up Rs72.47 per litre over the same period, ProPakistani’s price tracker shows.
The day-to-day numbers tell the story of a volatile month. On October 12, petrol stood at Rs395.37 per litre. It fell to Rs392.66 on October 13 after the Rs2.71 cut, and has now ticked back up to Rs393.86. Diesel has moved in a narrower band, easing from Rs396.85 on Monday to Rs396.65 in the latest revision.
What it means for households
Fuel prices feed directly into the cost of transport, and transport costs feed into the price of almost everything else. For daily commuters in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, even a one-rupee movement changes the monthly fuel bill by several hundred rupees.
The latest increase lands at a difficult moment. The fiscal deficit has fallen to a 22-year low, which the government presents as proof that its economic management is working, but households continue to feel the pinch of high energy costs. The rupee’s steady gains against the dollar — now on a 261-session winning streak — have helped contain imported inflation, yet petrol remains far above the levels seen before daily pricing began.
How the 24-hour system works
Under the daily revision framework, OGRA computes the new prices each evening using the day’s international benchmark prices for refined petrol and diesel, the prevailing interbank exchange rate, and the applicable petroleum levy and taxes. The revised rates take effect at midnight and remain valid for 24 hours.
The government says the system passes international price movements to consumers more quickly and transparently than the old fortnightly cycle, which often produced large, sudden jumps. Critics argue it has instead normalised a steady upward drift, since the cumulative increase of more than Rs80 per litre on petrol since the system began dwarfs the occasional small cuts.
What to watch
With international crude prices elevated — Brent recently traded above $106 a barrel amid tensions in the Strait of Hormuz — further upward pressure on domestic fuel prices cannot be ruled out in the coming days. OGRA will notify the next revision at midnight, and motorists will be watching whether the Rs1.20 increase is the start of another climb or a one-day adjustment.
Tags: petrol price, OGRA, diesel price, fuel prices Pakistan, daily fuel revision, inflation
