Pakistan's Price Committee Orders Checks on Flour, LPG and Bus Fares
Pakistan's price committee met on 8 October 2026 and ordered checks on flour hoarding, bus fares, DAP and LPG. See the six orders and how to report overcharging
Pakistan's National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) has ordered provinces to crack down on flour hoarding and check whether bus fares rose more than fuel prices did. The committee met in Islamabad on Thursday, 8 October 2026, chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal. It also told OGRA to close the gap between the official and market price of LPG.
The NPMC is a federal committee that reviews prices every month with the provinces. It cannot set shop prices itself. Its orders go to provincial and district administrations, which run price control on the ground.
We read the government's official press release on the meeting, issued through the Press Information Department on 8 October. We also checked the newest weekly price data, released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) a day later.
The committee ordered six checks on 8 October
The NPMC gave six main orders on 8 October 2026. They cover flour supply, bus fares, fertiliser prices, ghee and milk quality, the gap between wholesale and retail prices, and the LPG price. Each one goes to a named body.
| Order | Who must act |
|---|---|
| Watch flour supplies, hoarding and profiteering | Provincial and district administrations |
| Compare today's transport fares with fares after the last fuel rise | Concerned authorities |
| Find out why DAP fertiliser stays high when world prices fell | Ministry of National Food Security and Research |
| Submit the ghee, edible oil and milk quality report within one week | Inspection bodies |
| Act on unjustified wholesale and retail gaps, especially in Lahore and Karachi | Provincial governments |
| Reduce the gap between notified and market LPG prices | OGRA |
The press release gives no deadline for most of these orders. Only the ghee, oil and milk report has one: one week. The minister also said that if industry wants third-party checks on quality, industry should pay for them, not the government.
Flour was the price the minister worried about most
The minister "expressed concern over rising prices of essential commodities, particularly wheat flour", the press release says. He told provinces to watch supplies, market arrivals, hoarding and "unjustified price increases". Hoarding means holding stock back to push prices up.
The numbers back up that worry. A day after the meeting, PBS released its weekly prices for the week ended 8 October. A 20 kg bag of flour averaged Rs 2,851.04 across 17 cities, up 5.69% in one week. That was the biggest weekly rise of any item PBS tracks.
The same bag cost Rs 2,150.09 a year earlier. So flour is now Rs 701 a bag dearer than in October 2025, on PBS figures. For a family that buys two bags a month, that is about Rs 1,400 more each month.
Fares and food prices must be checked against the fuel rise
The NPMC wants to know whether transport fares went up by more than fuel did. The minister asked officials to compare current fares with fares after the previous fuel price increase. He also called for watching supply and transport costs, so fuel rises are not passed on to food prices out of proportion.
Fuel has been climbing. The petrol price for 9 October is Rs 398.96 a litre, up from Rs 392.76 on 3 October. Diesel, which moves trucks and buses, is Rs 395.72. PBS shows petrol 47.52% dearer than a year ago.
A fare check is useful only if it leads to action. Bus and wagon fares are set or policed by provincial transport authorities, not by the NPMC. So any change will depend on what each province does with the findings.
OGRA was told to close the LPG price gap
LPG has the widest gap between the official price and what people actually pay. OGRA, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, sets a monthly maximum price. The NPMC told OGRA to take "effective measures" to reduce the gap between that notified price and market prices.
The gap is large. The official LPG price for October is capped at Rs 3,296.23 for an 11.8 kg cylinder. PBS found shoppers paying an average of Rs 5,132.47 for an 11.67 kg cylinder in the week ended 8 October. That is about Rs 1,836 more, on a slightly smaller cylinder.
LPG is 68.55% dearer than a year ago, the second largest yearly rise in the PBS weekly list after onions. Many homes without piped gas rely on it to cook.
Inflation figures the committee reviewed
The meeting was told that consumer inflation was 10.3% in September 2026, down from 11.1% in August. Average inflation for July to September was 10.2%. Wholesale prices rose faster, at 13.3% year on year, which can push shop prices up later.
| Measure | Latest figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer Price Index (CPI) | 10.3% | September 2026, year on year |
| CPI, previous month | 11.1% | August 2026, year on year |
| CPI average | 10.2% | July to September 2026 |
| Wholesale Price Index (WPI) | 13.3% | September 2026, year on year |
| Weekly SPI | 11.53% | Week ended 1 October 2026 |
| Weekly SPI, newest | 11.97% | Week ended 8 October 2026 |
The last row was not before the committee. PBS published it on 9 October, a day after the meeting. It shows the weekly index rising 0.57%, with petrol and flour causing two thirds of the rise. The inflation rate for September 2026 has the full monthly breakdown.
DAP fertiliser stays high despite cheaper world prices
The minister asked the food security ministry to find out why DAP stays expensive in Pakistan even though world prices have fallen. DAP is a phosphate fertiliser that farmers use at wheat sowing. He said the benefit of lower world prices should reach local farmers.
The timing matters. Wheat sowing for the coming season runs through October and November. DAP was already averaging Rs 16,055 a bag in July, 23% higher than a year before, as we found in the DAP and urea price figures. Costly fertiliser at sowing can feed into flour prices next year.
What you can do if a shop overcharges you
The NPMC's orders work through provincial price control. If you are charged more than the notified price, you can complain to your province directly. These steps apply to flour, LPG and other items with an official price list.
- Check the official price list for your district. Assistant commissioners and price magistrates issue them.
- Keep the receipt, or note the shop name, address, item and price you paid.
- In Punjab, use the Qeemat app or the 0800-02345 helpline.
- In Sindh, you can report overcharging by calling 1299 or online.
- For LPG, report the price and the cylinder weight. OGRA's cap applies to the notified cylinder size.
A complaint will not lower the market price overnight. But it creates a record, and fines in Punjab have already run into millions of rupees in a single week.
Common questions
What is the National Price Monitoring Committee?
It is a federal committee, chaired by the Planning Minister, that reviews prices with the provinces. It gives directions, but provinces and districts enforce prices on the ground.
When did the NPMC meet?
It met on Thursday, 8 October 2026, in Islamabad. The government released its statement the same day.
Did the NPMC lower the price of flour or LPG?
No. It ordered checks and enforcement. It did not set any new price for flour, LPG or fares.
What is the official LPG price in October 2026?
OGRA capped it at Rs 3,296.23 for an 11.8 kg cylinder. PBS found shoppers paying about Rs 5,132 on average in the week ended 8 October.
How much has flour gone up?
A 20 kg bag averaged Rs 2,851.04 in the week ended 8 October, up 5.69% in a week and Rs 701 in a year, according to PBS.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We last checked this on 9 October 2026. The orders and inflation figures come from the government's press release on the NPMC meeting of 8 October 2026 (PR No. 92), issued through the Press Information Department. Weekly prices come from the PBS SPI release for the week ended 8 October 2026 and its executive summary. Fuel and LPG caps come from OGRA's published price sheets and notification. The press release does not give deadlines for most orders, and we have not seen any provincial follow-up yet.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
