Diesel Crosses Rs400 a Litre for the First Time at Rs400.67, Petrol Unchanged at Rs377.91

Islamabad, Oct 30, 2026 — Diesel has crossed Rs400 a litre in Pakistan for the first time, after the federal government raised the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) by 85 paisas to Rs400.67 per litre for October 30, while keeping petrol unchanged at Rs377.91 per litre. The revision, notified by the Petroleum Division under the daily price mechanism, pushes diesel past a round-number threshold that matters far beyond the forecourt — diesel powers the trucks that move the country’s goods and the tractors that work its fields.

Key facts: new fuel prices for October 30, 2026

Why diesel crossing Rs400 matters more than the 85 paisas suggest

On its own, 85 paisas looks small. In context, it is not. Diesel has now risen at every revision since October 20, when it stood at Rs389.27. Yesterday’s revision took it to Rs399.82 — just 18 paisas short of the mark — and today’s nudge carries it over. The cumulative increase in ten days is Rs11.40 per litre, and it lands on the fuel that drives freight, public transport and agriculture rather than the private car.

That is why transporters watch diesel more closely than petrol. A truck running hundreds of kilometres a day absorbs a diesel hike in a way no private motorist does, and those costs eventually surface in freight rates and, with a lag, in the prices of goods moved by road. Transporters had already warned earlier in October that sustained fuel-price pressure would force fare revisions; a diesel price above Rs400 strengthens that case, even though the single-day increase is modest.

What actually moved: the official breakdown

Business Recorder’s account of the notification gives the mechanics behind the 85 paisas. The HSD crack spread — the refining margin that feeds into the import price — fell from USD 41.89 to USD 38 per barrel, yet the HSD benchmark price rose to USD 114.65 per barrel from USD 114.15, and the import cost of diesel climbed to Rs293.12 per litre from Rs292.27. Petrol moved the other way at the refinery gate: its ex-refinery price eased to Rs267.13 per litre from Rs267.15, and its benchmark stood at USD 121.28 per barrel — enough for petrol to stay put at Rs377.91.

What did not move is the government’s take. The petroleum levy stays at Rs80 per litre, the climate support levy at Rs5, and dealer and oil-marketing-company margins at Rs9.98 and Rs7.87 respectively. In total, taxes and duties amount to Rs114 per litre on petrol and Rs100 per litre on diesel, according to Dawn’s report of the notification. So of today’s Rs400.67 diesel litre, roughly a quarter is tax and duty before a single drop is refined, shipped or pumped.

How the daily pricing mechanism works

Since July 2026, Pakistan has reviewed fuel prices daily instead of fortnightly or weekly. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik has said the daily prices are calculated using a seven-day average of international market rates, so that movements in global prices reach consumers immediately rather than building up into a large fortnightly jump. OGRA has also begun publishing the daily prices on its website as part of the same transparency push.

The backdrop this week is familiar: volatility in global oil markets driven by tensions between the United States and Iran, and the supply-disruption fears that have accompanied them. Oil prices actually fell on Thursday in choppy trading as hopes for peace talks offset some of those supply concerns, with Brent crude down 40 cents to USD 114.92 a barrel — but the seven-day averaging means a single day’s dip does not immediately reverse the trend baked into today’s notification.

Petrol unchanged — but not cheap

Petrol holding at Rs377.91 is better news for motorists than another increase, but it is worth keeping in perspective. Petrol stood at Rs387.40 on October 1, spiked to Rs398.96 on October 9, then retreated through the middle of the month before yesterday’s Rs1.85 increase brought it to today’s level. Even after holding steady today, petrol remains Rs9.49 per litre cheaper than on October 1 — while diesel, over the same period, has gone the other way entirely.

One relief measure still cushions the lowest-income motorists: the fuel relief scheme announced on September 13 offers Rs100 per litre off petrol for motorcycles, three-wheeler rickshaws and cars with engines of up to 800cc. That scheme is separate from the headline price and does not change today’s notification, but for eligible small-vehicle owners it remains the difference between the pump price and what they actually pay.

What to watch in the next revision

Under the daily mechanism, the next notification is never far away, and three things will decide whether diesel stays above Rs400 or retreats. First, the international benchmarks — if the HSD benchmark keeps rising, the import cost follows. Second, the rupee and the crack spread, which moved in opposite directions in today’s notification. And third, the levy question: with Rs80 of petroleum levy plus Rs5 of climate levy embedded in every litre, any future decision on levies would move the pump price far more than an 85-paisa benchmark adjustment. For now, though, the number that matters is simple: diesel, Rs400.67; petrol, Rs377.91.

Related reading: the previous revision took diesel to within 18 paisas of Rs400 — see Petrol Diesel Price October 24–26, 2026: Diesel Up Rs1.91 to Rs393.66, Petrol Unchanged at Rs377.71 and Petrol Diesel Price October 23, 2026: New Rates in Pakistan. For the jobs market, the Punjab Enforcement & Regulatory Authority’s 110 posts closed on October 29 — see PERA Jobs 2026: 110 Posts, Last Date 29 October.

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By Bilal Ahmed | October 30, 2026