Mansoor Nizamani
In Pakistan, petrol and diesel prices are now rising almost every day, having a deep impact on the daily lives of ordinary people. The new price of petrol has reached approximately Rs. 389 per litre, while the price of High-Speed Diesel has risen to around Rs. 424 per litre. Since July 2026, petrol prices have increased by approximately 23 percent and diesel prices by around 18 percent. In April 2026, fuel prices also witnessed a significant increase, when petrol reached Rs. 458 and diesel Rs. 520 per litre. However, the current increase in petrol and diesel prices is not merely about the figures displayed at fuel stations. It means more expensive transportation, higher fares, rising prices of essential commodities, and increasing agricultural costs, all of which directly affect the lives of ordinary citizens.
Official inflation figures also point towards the seriousness of the situation. According to the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), weekly inflation increased by 0.49 percent during one week of September 2026, while overall inflation this year has been recorded at 10.64 percent, with increases in diesel and petrol prices having a significant impact. In August 2026, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was recorded at 11.1 percent, with transportation costs also contributing significantly to inflation. On the other hand, the Petroleum Development Levy and other taxes are also included in fuel prices. This means that, along with global crude oil prices and the exchange rate, local taxes and government policies also influence petrol and diesel prices. Therefore, the issue of fuel prices is not limited to the international oil market; it also involves questions related to domestic fiscal policy. The question now is: when the impact of fuel prices has reached almost every sector of life, why is the public response still so weak?
Why, despite such continuous economic pressure, is there no significant public resistance in Pakistani society? There are examples from different countries where people have protested against rising fuel prices and taxes. In 2018, France witnessed the “Yellow Vest” movement, in which people reacted against increases in fuel taxes and the rising cost of living. In several other European countries, truck drivers, farmers and people associated with various sectors also protested against increasing fuel costs. These examples at least demonstrate that when an economic problem affects a particular group or sector in an organized manner, public unions, civil society, and political and non-political organizations can play a role in transforming that concern into a collective voice. In Pakistan, however, such organized and sustained movements appear to be relatively weak.
The reasons are not only political but also economic and social. For a daily-wage worker, spending a day protesting means losing a day’s income. A small shopkeeper, driver, farmer or low-income employee is already facing the costs of electricity, gas, food, education and healthcare. In such circumstances, finding the time and resources to protest and organizing ordinary people is not easy. Political divisions also create obstacles in transforming economic problems into a collective movement. When an economic issue becomes part of the blame game between political parties, the attention of ordinary people can shift away from the actual issue. As a result, after every increase in prices, discussions, complaints and reactions appear on social media for a few days, but eventually the issue becomes part of everyday life.
Continuous inflation also has a psychological impact: people gradually begin to adopt survival strategies instead of resistance. They reduce their travel, try to cut household expenses and even limit spending on their children’s needs. Such measures may provide temporary relief, but they do not resolve the underlying problems, which continue to grow. We know that the government attributes price increases to global oil prices, wars, the import bill or exchange-rate fluctuations. Part of this debate is certainly connected with global circumstances, but an equally legitimate question is how much relief ordinary consumers receive through local taxes, the petroleum levy, government expenditures and the price-setting mechanism. The public should be clearly informed about how much of the price of one litre of fuel represents the international cost of oil, how much consists of taxes and levies, and to what extent the government has the ability and justification to increase or reduce the price.
The impact of rising fuel prices extends far beyond the petrol pump. Higher diesel prices increase the costs of agricultural machinery, tube wells, transportation and the movement of goods. Higher petrol prices increase the monthly expenses of millions of people who travel by motorcycles, cars, rickshaws and other means of transport. When transportation becomes more expensive, the impact reaches the markets and ultimately forces consumers to pay more. Therefore, the government needs to do more than simply increase or decrease fuel prices. It should make the entire fuel-pricing structure transparent to the public, consider targeted relief for poor and low-income groups, and adopt policies that do not transfer the full burden of shocks in the international market onto consumers. Similarly, political parties, labour organizations, traders’ organizations, civil society and the media must make economic issues a serious subject of public debate.
How long can the people continue to bear the burden created by the constantly rising prices of petrol and diesel? As inflation increases, incomes are not rising at the same pace, while basic expenses continue to grow. Every increase in fuel prices therefore takes something more out of the pocket of the ordinary citizen. However, it would also be wrong to consider public silence a solution to the problem. Silence does not always mean consent; it may also be the result of helplessness, economic hardship, fear or political distrust. Therefore, the question should not only be why petrol has reached Rs. 389 or diesel Rs. 424 per litre. It should also be asked: how much of this price is the public paying, how much goes to the government, and who is responsible for providing relief? There is a need for greater government transparency and accountability and for a serious public debate on economic policies through which some relief can be provided to the people. However, it should be remembered that public silence cannot always be taken for granted. If economic pressure continues to increase and the difficulties faced by the people are not effectively addressed, the possibility of strong public reaction cannot be ignored. Therefore, those in power should seriously consider timely and effective measures to provide relief to the people, so that the situation does not become more complicated and economic unrest does not turn into a wider social crisis.
