The surge in inflation has been primarily attributed to a significant rise in electricity charges, exacerbating the financial burden on households. Measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), short-term inflation saw a week-on-week increase of 0.69 percent, underscoring the ongoing challenges faced by both economists and consumers. One of the contributing factors to the soaring inflation is the 1.75 percent increase in electricity tariffs during the first quarter. Moreover, the most substantial week-on-week price hikes were recorded in chillies powder (3.72 percent), powdered milk (3.65 percent), pulse mash (3.13 percent), garlic (2.39 percent), sugar (2.30 percent), chicken (2.27 percent), salt (1.84 percent), and eggs (1.74 percent). This shift is mainly attributed to the surge in petroleum prices during July, following a slight drop in June.

Source: Pakistan Today August 12, 2023 05:40 UTC