The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported a significant surge in weekly inflation, with a year-on-year increase of 38.66%, primarily attributed to the uptick in petroleum prices. According to PBS data released on Saturday, the Sensitive Price Indicator-based inflation rose by 0.93% for the week ending September 21 compared to the previous week.
The indicator is based on 51 essential items gathered from 50 markets across 17 cities in Pakistan, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
During the week under review, price fluctuations were observed among these essential items. Out of the 51 items, the prices of 22 items experienced an increase, while 11 items saw a decrease, and 18 items remained stable, according to the data.
The PBS noted that the prices of chicken, onions, garlic, petrol, and diesel witnessed an upward trend during the last week. Conversely, there was a decline in the prices of sugar, bananas, tomatoes, wheat flour, cooking oil, and tea.
This inflationary trend is significantly impacted by the recent fluctuations in petroleum costs, underlining the importance of monitoring essential commodities and their impact on consumer prices in Pakistan’s economy.