Petrol price cut is too little for struggling people

July 5, 2026

The federal government has cut petrol and diesel prices by Rs1.97 per litre for the coming week. Petrol will now cost Rs297.53 per litre. High speed diesel will cost Rs309.50 per litre. The new prices took effect from midnight and will stay for seven days. This cut sounds nice on paper. But it is not enough. Pakistani families needed real relief. They got a small token instead. International oil prices have been falling for weeks. Markets around the world have normalized to pre war levels. Countries across the globe have already passed on big savings to their people. Pakistan is moving at a snail’s pace in comparison. The government kept prices unchanged during the last review period. This happened even though global oil prices were dropping. Now it has finally acted. But the size of the cut does not match the scale of relief people actually need. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik had promised good news for consumers. He said the government was committed to protecting people and keeping the pricing process transparent. He said officials were watching global oil markets closely. These words sound good. But the numbers tell a different story.

Earlier this month, the government increased the Climate Support Levy on petrol and diesel by Rs2.50 per litre. It now stands at Rs5 per litre. At the same time, the Petroleum Levy on petrol was reduced by Rs2.50 per litre to Rs64.14 per litre. The levy on diesel was also cut by the same amount to Rs77.04 per litre. So one levy went up while another went down. The end result is a tiny net benefit for ordinary people. This is not the bold relief that citizens were hoping for. Pakistanis are dealing with high inflation. Transport costs are rising. Food prices are rising. Household budgets are stretched thin. People needed a price cut that actually makes a difference in their daily lives. A cut of less than two rupees per litre will not ease this burden. It will barely register at the pump. The government must do better. It must pass on the full benefit of falling global oil prices to the public. Pakistan cannot keep dragging its feet while the rest of the world moves forward. The public has waited long enough. The government owes the people a fair and honest pricing mechanism. Relief must be real. It must be timely. And it must match what the global market is already offering.

Pakistan deserves better than token gestures. The time for real relief is now.