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Aftab Maken
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s short-term inflation recorded a notable easing during the week ended February 12, 2026, as prices of key food items — particularly eggs and vegetables — declined significantly.
According to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) dropped by 0.59% on a week-on-week basis. The SPI measures price movements of 51 essential commodities across 50 markets in 17 major cities and serves as a key gauge of immediate inflationary pressures faced by consumers.
The decline was largely driven by a sharp fall in perishable food prices. Eggs recorded the steepest drop, falling by 17.61%, followed by tomatoes, which declined by 12.02%. Chicken prices decreased by 6.34%, while onions and potatoes fell by 2.73% and 2.49%, respectively.
Other essential commodities that witnessed price reductions included salt powder (1.69%), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (1.57%), wheat flour (1.31%), and sugar (1.12%). The decline in staple food prices provided relief to households grappling with high living costs.
However, not all items followed the downward trend. Bananas posted a sharp increase of 7.62%, while garlic rose by 4.35%. Prices of pulse mash increased by 2.69%, chilies powder by 1.68%, mutton by 0.80%, and beef by 0.37%. Minor increases were also observed in mustard oil, vegetable ghee, cigarettes, shirting, georgette, and lawn printed fabric.
Out of the 51 commodities tracked, prices of 15 items (29.41%) increased, 15 items (29.41%) declined, while the remaining 21 items (41.18%) remained unchanged during the week.
On a year-on-year basis, the SPI recorded a moderate increase of 4.26%, reflecting broader price pressures over the past 12 months. Tomatoes led annual inflation with a steep rise of 73.36%, followed by wheat flour (33.82%) and gas charges for the first quarter (29.85%). Other significant annual increases were recorded in chilies powder (15.20%), beef (12.70%), eggs (11.76%), bananas (11.67%), firewood (11.40%), LPG (10.73%), powdered milk (9.89%), shirting (8.82%), and gur (8.81%).
Conversely, several items posted substantial year-on-year declines, helping to moderate the overall inflation rate. Potato prices fell sharply by 44.68%, garlic by 30.78%, pulse gram by 23.81%, onions by 22.04%, and chicken by 20.13%. Tea (Lipton), salt powder, pulse masoor, and petrol also recorded noticeable annual declines.
The weekly decline in SPI comes after recent volatility in short-term inflation trends and offers temporary relief to consumers amid ongoing economic challenges. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics releases the SPI on a weekly basis to monitor immediate price movements in essential goods and provide policymakers with timely inflation data.
