Pakistan raises petrol price by Rs1.20, cuts diesel by 17 paisas from October 15

Pakistan's government announced on October 14 that petrol would rise by Rs1.20 to Rs393.86 a litre and high-speed diesel would fall by 17 paisas to Rs396.65 a litre from October 15, according to Dawn and Aaj English. The change affects the prices paid by drivers and businesses buying the two fuels across Pakistan.

Aaj put the immediately preceding prices at Rs392.66 a litre for petrol and Rs396.82 for high-speed diesel. The small diesel reduction therefore leaves its new per-litre price above petrol's, while the petrol increase follows a cut announced for the previous day.

How the October 15 fuel prices compare

The Express Tribune reported that the October 14 revision had reduced petrol by Rs2.71 a litre and high-speed diesel by three paisas. The latest petrol rise takes back part of that earlier reduction; diesel has been cut again, though by a much smaller amount than the previous petrol decrease.

Aaj attributed the October 15 rates to a Petroleum Division notification. It reported that the division cited developments in international markets, including movements in Platts rates, premiums and incidentals. The underlying notification was not available in the cited material, so that explanation rests on Aaj's account of it.

Taxes and the recent price swings

The latest adjustment comes after much larger movements earlier in 2026. Dawn said petrol rose from Rs266 a litre in the first week of March to a peak of Rs458.41 on April 3. It reported that high-speed diesel rose from Rs281 after the US-Iran war began on February 28 and reached Rs520.35 on April 3. The October 15 prices for both fuels are below those April peaks.

The frequency of revisions has also changed. According to Dawn, fuel prices were revised weekly from early March before a daily-pricing mechanism was announced in July. That timetable helps explain why a new adjustment has followed the October 14 reduction so closely.

Who faces the revised rates

The two fuels are sold on a much larger scale than kerosene in Pakistan. Dawn reported combined monthly petrol and high-speed diesel sales of about 700,000 to 800,000 tonnes, against monthly kerosene demand of about 10,000 tonnes. The new rates therefore apply to fuels used extensively by road users and transport businesses, although the cited reports do not quantify a resulting change in household or business costs.

Dawn also reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a relief scheme on September 13 covering motorcycles, autos and vehicles with engines up to 800cc. Separately, it said authorities had reintroduced austerity measures requiring markets to close by 9pm and cutting fuel allocations for official vehicles by 50% for three months. Those measures form part of the government's response to high fuel costs; the reports do not identify a new change to them in the October 15 price announcement.