Weekly inflation rises

Dawn reported that the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), the main gauge of short-term inflation, reached 9.66 per cent for the week ending August 20 when compared with a year earlier. The main driver was higher petrol and diesel prices, which also pushed up transport costs over recent weeks. Against the previous week, the index climbed 0.49 per cent, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said.

The broader index showed wide movement, with onions leading weekly gains at 14.17 per cent, followed by petrol, chicken and garlic. On an annual basis, onions rose 132.52 per cent and tomatoes 93.21 per cent, while wheat flour, LPG, diesel and petrol also posted large increases.

Eggs fell 5.78 per cent, diesel prices eased 5.15 per cent and tomatoes declined 4.99 per cent on the week. The overall pattern suggests continued pressure on the cost of living, with the rise described as broad-based.