Islamabad : The upward trend in inflation continued across the country as Pakistan’s weekly inflation increased by 0.49 percent , while the annual inflation rate was recorded at 9.66 percent , according to the latest report issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The report stated that prices of several essential commodities increased during the past week. Onion prices rose by 14.17 percent , petrol by 3.77 percent , and chicken meat by 3.35 percent . The prices of garlic and gram pulse (chana dal) also increased by 2 percent and 0.63 percent , respectively.

On the other hand , prices of some items declined on a weekly basis . Egg prices dropped by 5.78 percent , diesel by 5.15 percent , and tomatoes by 4.99 percent .

On an annual basis, onions recorded the highest increase of 132.52 percent , followed by tomatoes at 93.21 percent , wheat flour at 62.25 percent , LPG at 51.69 percent , and diesel at 33.08 percent .

Meanwhile , prices of potatoes fell by 30.01 percent over the year, while sugar became cheaper by 19.10 percent . Chicken meat and eggs also recorded annual declines of 17.68 percent and 17.41 percent , respectively.