Petrol Prices Rise Twice in a Month, Filling Stations in This Country Crowded Like a Market

Vehicles queue to refuel at a petrol station in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Thursday night (2/4/2026) local time. The government of this neighbour to Indonesia has officially raised the prices of diesel and petrol fuel due to a surge in global oil prices triggered by the conflict in the Middle East. (REUTERS/Naveed Mirza)

This increase in fuel prices in Pakistan marks the second time in less than a month. Diesel prices will rise by 54.9% to 520.35 rupees ($1.88) or about Rp 31,952 per litre, and petrol by 42.7% to 458.40 rupees or about Rp 27,868 per litre. (REUTERS/Waseem Sattar)

Raising prices is unavoidable because international market prices are beyond control following the US-Iran war, said Pakistan’s Oil Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik in a press conference broadcast on state television, alongside the country’s Finance Minister. (REUTERS/Waseem Sattar)

Malik stated that the government has provided subsidies amounting to 129 billion rupees over the past three weeks, but this is no longer affordable due to the rise in international oil prices. (REUTERS/Waseem Sattar)

A resident of Lahore, Mohammad Haris, said that the government’s previous good deeds have vanished after the outbreak of the Iran war, and that the poor people have been oppressed. A resident of Karachi, Mohammad Kashif, described the price hike as an injustice, adding that instead of burdening the public, the government should bear some of the load itself. (REUTERS/Waseem Sattar)

This decision is likely to lead to higher inflation and hit Pakistan’s poor population hard. Pakistan imports oil mainly from Saudi Arabia and the UAE through the Strait of Hormuz. (REUTERS/Naveed Mirza)