Diesel crosses Rs400 a litre for the first time as petrol stays unchanged at Rs377.91
High-speed diesel rose by 85 paisas to Rs400.67 a litre for October 30 under Pakistan’s daily pricing mechanism, crossing the Rs400 mark, while petrol was left unchanged at Rs377.91, the Petroleum Division notified.
High-speed diesel has crossed Rs400 a litre for the first time, after the federal government raised its price by 85 paisas for Friday, October 30, while leaving petrol unchanged. The new rates were notified by the Petroleum Division under the daily pricing mechanism introduced in July.
Under the revision, high-speed diesel (HSD) will retail at Rs400.67 a litre, up from Rs399.82, while petrol continues to sell at Rs377.91 a litre. The Express Tribune, Dawn and Geo News all reported the same figures from the official notification.
The latest change follows a sharper move a day earlier, when the government increased petrol by Rs1.85 and diesel by Rs1.75 a litre for October 29. Diesel has therefore risen on consecutive days, and the gap between the two fuels has widened to Rs22.76 — diesel was cheaper than petrol by Rs1.71 as recently as October 8, a swing of Rs24.47 in three weeks.
The government continues to levy Rs114 a litre in taxes and duties on petrol and Rs100 a litre on diesel, according to Dawn. The petroleum minister has disclosed that the diesel price includes a levy of Rs80 a litre, a climate levy of Rs5 and customs duty of Rs20.56.
Diesel matters disproportionately to household budgets even though most private cars run on petrol. It powers trucks, buses, tractors and much of the country’s freight and farm machinery, so a rise in diesel tends to feed through into transport fares and the prices of food and other goods carried to market.
The daily pricing system itself is new. On July 17 the government replaced the previous weekly review with daily notifications, saying international oil prices should be passed through to consumers more promptly. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has begun publishing daily petroleum prices on its website as part of that transparency push.
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik has said daily prices are calculated using a seven-day average of international market rates, in line with international practice. Officials link the recent volatility to the Middle East conflict between the United States and Iran, which has disrupted supply expectations and pushed global crude prices higher.
That global backdrop remains tense. Brent crude has traded above 112 dollars a barrel this week, and the Strait of Hormuz — through which about a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes — has seen tanker incidents and mine claims in recent days, keeping traders on edge.
For context, today’s diesel price is still well below its peak of Rs520.35 recorded on April 3, when petrol had peaked at Rs458.41. Prices have come down substantially since then, but the direction in recent days has been upward again, and the crossing of the Rs400 line is a psychological marker for consumers.
The relief scheme announced on September 13 still offers Rs100 a litre off petrol for motorcycles, three-wheeler rickshaws and cars with engines of up to 800cc, aimed at shielding lower-income consumers. Diesel users, including transporters and farmers, have no equivalent cushion.
What comes next depends on the next daily notification and on world oil markets. If crude prices ease as diplomatic efforts around Iran progress, the daily mechanism should pass that relief through quickly; if tensions escalate, consumers could see further increases at the pump within days. For now, Friday’s rates stand: petrol Rs377.91, diesel Rs400.67.
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