Petrol and high-speed diesel got cheaper in Pakistan from Tuesday, September 29, 2026, with the federal government cutting petrol by Rs2.27 per litre to Rs389.03 and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs3.56 per litre to Rs404.97, according to Dawn and Business Recorder, both citing the Petroleum Division’s latest notification.
The new rates are part of what has become a near-daily price cycle. Since July 17, 2026, the government has been revising ex-depot fuel prices on a daily basis instead of the fortnightly review that used to apply, so that pump prices track global oil-market swings more closely. Just a day earlier, on Monday, petrol had actually gone up by Rs2.02 per litre even as diesel fell by Rs3.59, per Business Recorder — a reminder that under the new system, the two products don’t always move in the same direction from one day to the next.
| Fuel | Price on Sep 28 | Price on Sep 29 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | Rs391.30 / litre | Rs389.03 / litre | -Rs2.27 |
| High-Speed Diesel (HSD) | Rs408.53 / litre | Rs404.97 / litre | -Rs3.56 |
In its notification, the Petroleum Division attributed the fresh cut to global developments — specifically, changes in Platts rates and in the premiums and incidentals that feed into Pakistan’s import parity pricing formula:
“Global developments, including changes in Platts rates, premiums and incidentals” — Petroleum Division notification, cited by Business Recorder
Notably, the cut came even as crude itself was not falling: Brent crude was trading above $106 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate near $94.10, both up roughly 2% on the day, as tensions between the US and Iran kept a geopolitical risk premium in oil markets, Business Recorder reported. That points to softer Platts premiums and incidentals — not a drop in headline crude prices — as the main driver of Tuesday’s relief at the pump.
Tax and duty components remain a large share of the retail price: Dawn reported that petrol currently carries about Rs114 per litre in taxes and duties, while diesel carries roughly Rs100 per litre, mostly petroleum levy and other government charges layered on top of the ex-refinery cost.
Even with Tuesday’s cut, pump prices remain well below the peaks hit earlier this year. Both petrol and HSD topped out on April 3, 2026, at Rs458.41 and Rs520.35 per litre respectively, during an earlier spike tied to the US-Iran conflict that began in February 2026. Compared with those highs, petrol is now down by more than Rs69 a litre and diesel by over Rs115 a litre, even though prices have moved up and down repeatedly in between — including the Sep 24 update PakDaily carried last week, when petrol was cut only marginally.
Fuel prices remain a politically sensitive number in Pakistan, feeding directly into transport fares and the cost of moving goods, which is why the Petroleum Division continues to notify the revised rates the night before they take effect. The government’s broader austerity drive is still in place alongside the price cycle, with markets required to shut by 9pm and official vehicle fuel allocations cut by half for three months, measures introduced earlier this month as part of the response to the wider fuel-cost pressure this year.
