Following the increase in the prices of petrol and food, the weekly inflation – based on the sensitive price index (SPI) – surged by 3.35% week-on-week and 42.31% year-on-year during the week ending August 18. According to the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) the average prices of 25 essential items, vegetables, eggs, chicken, milk and other items rose during the outgoing week. Prices of 11 items, including vegetable ghee, mustard oil, pulses, etc. have declined. Meanwhile, the rates of 15 essential goods remained unchanged. Former adviser to finance ministry Dr Khaqan Najeeb said SPI rose due to food prices – tomatoes, chicken and non-food (electricity charges, petrol). “Supply disruptions due to heavy rain is a matter of concern,” he added. The combined income group index went up from 209.01 points during the week that ended on August 11 to 216.02 points in the week under review. The SPI for the lowest income group increased by 1.80% compared to the previous week. The index for the group stood at 219.64 points against 215.76 points in the previous week. Rapid changes in petrol prices – which has a weightage of 6.7% in the SPI basket – have put huge pressure on the masses, particularly those from the low- and middle-income groups. Moreover, stagnant wages add to the woes. SPI is computed on weekly basis to assess the price movements of essential commodities at a shorter interval of time to review the price situation in the country. It comprises 51 essential items and the prices are collected from 50 markets in 17 cities of the country. Former planning minister and PTI leader Asad Umar said latest inflation of essential items shows the inflation at 42%. “Unbearable pain being inflicted,” he wrote on Twitter.