Reporting snapshot · 26 September 2026. These are the petroleum prices notified for 26–28 September 2026 under the daily pricing mechanism the government introduced after the regional conflict pushed global markets into frequent swings. The prices apply from 26 September and are held through 28 September because rates notified on a Friday stay unchanged over the weekend. International oil markets remain volatile and the next notification could reverse either move.
What happened
The federal government revised Pakistan’s petroleum prices from 26 September 2026, moving the two main fuels in opposite directions. Petrol was raised by Rs2.02 a litre, taking it to Rs391.30 from Rs389.28, while high-speed diesel (HSD) was cut by Rs3.59 a litre, bringing it to Rs408.53 from Rs412.12, according to the Petroleum Division notification published through the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).
The revised ex-depot rates apply from 26 September and remain in force through 28 September. The Petroleum Division attributed the changes to movements in international Platts rates, premiums and other incidentals, Geo News reported.
The adjustment reverses part of the previous revision, under which petrol was cut by Re0.84 a litre to Rs389.28 and HSD by Rs2.63 to Rs412.12 for the single day of 25 September, Profit by Pakistan Today noted. Because this week’s rates were set on Friday, they remain fixed across Saturday and Sunday under the new daily pricing framework, which leaves prices notified on Fridays unchanged over the weekend. The swing follows the pattern of frequent revisions seen through August, when KhabarWire covered an earlier cut to petrol and diesel prices as the government switched to short-interval reviews.
Why the two fuels moved differently
The divergent moves for petrol and diesel follow their recent pricing histories. International oil markets have swung sharply through the week. Global crude prices fell more than 1% on Friday as markets weighed the prospect of a US–Iran truce against concern over potential supply disruptions after increased Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, according to the market data cited by Profit. Brent crude was down about $1.34 a barrel, or 1.3%, at $105.26 at midday on Friday, while US West Texas Intermediate fell $1.83, or 1.9%, to $92.78. For the week as a whole, Brent was up about 1.5% while WTI had declined about 7.4%.
Pakistan imports most of its refined fuel, so its ex-depot prices are set with reference to international product prices such as the Platts Arab Gulf assessments rather than to crude benchmarks directly. The mechanism uses a rolling average of international prices, which can produce different signals for petrol and diesel in the same review, as it did this time.
The government’s own figures, carried in its notifications and reporting, show how far prices have moved over the conflict. In Dawn’s account of the pricing history, HSD peaked at Rs520.35 a litre on 3 April 2026 after the US–Iran war began on 28 February, and petrol peaked at Rs458.41 on the same date. The current levels are well below those peaks, reflecting both falling product prices and the tax and duty structure that has stayed in place: the government continues to levy about Rs114 a litre in taxes and duties on petrol and about Rs100 a litre on diesel.
The daily pricing mechanism
The latest notification is the first in a series under the daily pricing arrangement the federal cabinet approved as volatility intensified. Under the framework, described in an official document seen by Geo News, OGRA is authorised to issue daily ex-depot prices for petrol and high-speed diesel without requiring prior approval from the prime minister or the federal government on each change. Prices are determined using the average international market prices recorded over the previous seven days, in line with what Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik described as international practice.
Rates notified on Fridays remain unchanged on Saturdays and Sundays, which is why the prices set on 26 September hold through 28 September. The document also says OGRA will publish daily Platts reference prices, that the petroleum levy cannot exceed the limit approved by the federal cabinet, and that any change in the levy rate requires approval from the Finance Division.
The new framework also revises fuel import arrangements for fiscal year 2026-27. Imports of high-speed diesel are to be routed exclusively through Pakistan State Oil, while oil marketing companies will be allowed to import petrol in line with their market shares. Companies that fail to meet import obligations or upliftment requirements will not be granted fresh import permissions for up to nine months. Prices of kerosene oil and light diesel oil are likewise to be determined on a daily basis.
The move to daily pricing comes after the government had already shortened its review cycle in response to the regional conflict. Pakistan previously revised petroleum prices fortnightly. After the war in the Middle East began on 28 February, when Israel and the United States attacked Iran and Tehran shut the Strait of Hormuz — the route that carried around a fifth of global energy supplies before the conflict — the government shifted to a weekly review and now to a daily one.
What it means for consumers
Petrol is the fuel most used by private cars and motorcycles in Pakistan, so an increase of Rs2.02 a litre feeds directly into household transport budgets. High-speed diesel, by contrast, is the fuel of buses, trucks, agricultural machinery and much of the freight sector; a cut of Rs3.59 a litre offers some relief to the transport and farming economy after a string of rises. The opposite direction of the two changes means the net effect on the headline cost of living is mixed.
The frequent revisions underline how exposed Pakistan’s domestic fuel prices remain to the regional conflict and to global product markets. Because the mechanism is being applied at short intervals, the next notification could reverse either move if international prices swing again. Readers should treat these figures as a dated snapshot of the 26–28 September notification rather than a forecast of future prices.
What is still uncertain
The government did not indicate what the next review will set or when the current rates might change again beyond 28 September. The direction of global product prices — and with them Pakistan’s petrol and diesel rates — depends on the still-unresolved US–Iran conflict, the state of the Strait of Hormuz, and the separate flare-up around the Bab el-Mandeb strait and Saudi Arabia. The petroleum levy and other taxes also sit at levels that the authorities have said are under review within the limits approved by the cabinet. As with all such reporting, this is a dated snapshot: a fresh international price movement could bring a new notification within days.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting and the official notification, not independent on-the-ground reporting. Facts and attributed remarks are as carried by the cited sources, which were reviewed on 26 September 2026.
- OGRA — Notified petroleum product prices effective 26 September 202626 September 2026 · Primary record of the notification setting petrol at Rs391.30 and high-speed diesel at Rs408.53 a litre for 26–28 September.
- Geo News — Govt raises petrol price by Rs2.02, cuts HSD by Rs3.59 per litre25 September 2026 · Independent confirmation of the Rs2.02 petrol increase to Rs391.30, the Rs3.59 HSD cut to Rs408.53, the 26–28 September validity, the daily pricing mechanism and the Friday-weekend rule.
- Profit by Pakistan Today — Petrol up Rs2.02, diesel down Rs3.59 for Sept 2625 September 2026 · Independent confirmation of the new rates, the previous revision, the Platts and incidentals explanation, and the Friday crude-market movements.
- Dawn — Petrol price down by Rs0.84 per litre, high-speed diesel rate reduced by Rs2.6324 September 2026 · The preceding notification, the Rs114 petrol and Rs100 diesel taxes and duties, and the HSD and petrol price peaks of 3 April 2026 for context.
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