ISLAMABAD:
The government on Tuesday raised the prices of petroleum products by up to Rs 7.15 per liter for Wednesday (today), while the All Pakistan Petrol Pumps Owners Association (APPPOA) announced a nationwide strike after talks with the government on a proposed daily fuel pricing mechanism failed.
Under a revised pricing mechanism notified by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) has been increased by Rs7.15 per litre, from Rs360.06 to Rs367.21, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Energy’s Petroleum Division.
The price of motor spirit (MS), commonly known as petrol, has also been hiked by Rs 4.93. per litre, from Rs 315.80. to Rs.320.73. The revised rates came into effect on July 22, 2026, the statement said.
Until recently, oil prices were revised every fortnight. However, the government last week switched to a daily price mechanism. On Monday, it raised the price of HSD by Rs5.17 per liter for Tuesday, while reducing the price of petrol by Rs0.35 per litre.
APPPOA and All Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) have opposed the introduction of daily fuel price revisions. Following the breakdown in negotiations with the government, APPPOA announced an indefinite nationwide strike from midnight on Wednesday.
In a video message, APPPOA leader Nauman Butt said talks with the federal minister of petroleum had not yielded a positive result. He said negotiations broke down over dealers’ margins and the implementation of the daily fuel price mechanism.
The association said that petrol pumps across the country would remain closed from midnight on July 22 and that the strike would continue until the government’s acceptance of its demands. The Petroleum Traders Association also announced its support for the strike.
Separately, the PPDA called a meeting of its executive committee to decide whether to join the strike. PPDA Senior Adviser Malik Khuda Bukhsh said that the daily fuel prices were neither practical nor acceptable to dealers.
He said the association had conveyed its concerns to OGRA, which sought seven days to present the issues to the government and respond to the negotiators. According to Malik, the PPDA informed the regulator that its executive committee would meet on Wednesday to decide its future course of action, including the strike.
