Overview
- The government raised petrol to Rs334.54 per litre and high‑speed diesel to Rs395.69 per litre for August 19, following consecutive daily increases reported by official notifications.
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik to travel to Karachi to press local refineries for relief after public protests and transporters’ unrest put pressure on the administration.
- Petroleum Minister Malik said refineries agreed to cut the price of locally produced diesel by about Rs30–32 per litre and that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority will publish the final adjusted price after completing its calculations.
- Analysts link the spike in domestic fuel costs to tighter global refined‑product supplies caused by the Iran war, attacks on refineries including reported strikes in Russia, and record diesel margins that have boosted exports from U.S. and Indian refiners.
- A confirmed diesel cut would lower costs for goods transporters and farmers and could ease inflationary pressure on food and freight, but the final consumer impact depends on OGRA’s notification and any government tax adjustments.