Diesel cut, petrol held
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a reduction of Rs32.12 per litre in the ex-depot price of high-speed diesel (HSD) for the week ending 24 April 2026, while leaving petrol prices unchanged.
The HSD price was fixed at Rs353.42 per litre, down from Rs385.54 — a decline of 8.3 per cent. The Prime Minister’s Office said the cut was meant to pass relief on to the public and that the government would continue to pass on benefits as early as possible.
Petrol was kept at Rs366.58 per litre. Tax rates on all petroleum products were left unchanged. According to Dawn, the government charges about Rs36 per litre on HSD, including Rs33 in customs duty and Rs2.5 as a climate support levy, while total taxes on petrol amount to Rs107 per litre, made up of an Rs81 petroleum levy, Rs24 customs duty and Rs2.5 climate levy.
Prices ease after Hormuz reopening
The last-minute reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a resulting 12–13 per cent fall in global prices were not taken into account before the prime minister approved the diesel cut through a written statement, the report said. The sharp decline, which came after the ceasefire announced by the United States and Iran, was expected to be reflected in domestic prices the following week.
Diesel had peaked at Rs520.35 per litre on 10 April. This was the second consecutive weekly cut; Pakistan had already reduced diesel by Rs135 and petrol by Rs12 a litre from 11 April, as covered in the earlier fuel revision.
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority said it had processed the disbursement of Rs38 billion in price differential claims to 34 oil-marketing companies under the government’s subsidy mechanism. Petrol and HSD remain the main revenue generators, with monthly sales of about 700,000 to 800,000 tonnes compared with roughly 10,000 tonnes of kerosene demand.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 2026-04-18.
- Dawn — Diesel price cut by Rs32 a litre, petrol unchangedPublished 18 April 2026 · Primary: the Prime Minister's Office announcement of the Rs32.12 per litre diesel cut, the Rs353.42 ex-depot price, the unchanged Rs366.58 petrol price, the tax breakdown and the Ogra price differential claims.
