In a welcome respite for the inflation-battered citizens of Pakistan, the latest statistics from the Federal Bureau of Statistics reveal a marginal decrease of 0.1 percent in the inflation rate over the past week.
This drop comes after a prolonged period of relentless price hikes, bringing some much-needed relief to the common man.
According to the data, the prices of nine essential items, including tomatoes, wheat flour, onions, sugar, chicken, lentils, and bread, have witnessed a decline. However, the prices of 21 other items, such as eggs, pulses, potatoes, beef, milk, and LPG, continue to soar.
On an annual basis, the statistics reveal that the price of onions has surged by 89.5 percent, while chickpea lentils have gone up by 34 percent, and tomatoes by 28 percent.
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Over the past year, the cost of dry milk has increased by 26 percent, beef and lentil mong by 24 percent, and garlic by over 28 percent. Additionally, gas charges have skyrocketed, with an increase of up to 570 percent.
Moreover, the prices of dry milk, big meat, lentil mong, and garlic have risen by 26 percent, 24 percent, 24 percent, and 28 percent, respectively, over the same period. The most striking increase, however, is in gas charges, which have skyrocketed by a whopping 570 percent.