KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) ​is expected to hold its key policy rate steady at a policy ‌review on Monday, a Reuters poll showed, as rising global energy prices and regional tensions cloud the inflation outlook and limit the room for cuts. All 10 analysts in a Reuters poll expect the SBP to hold the rate at 10.5% , after policymakers held the rate ​in January. The central bank has cut the key rate by a cumulative ⁠11.5 percentage points since mid-2024, from a record high of 22%. Escalating Middle East tensions ​after the US and Israel attacked Iran have raised the risk of disruption to shipping ​through the Strait of Hormuz and pushed oil-and-gas prices higher, adding to Pakistan’s import bill and inflationary pressures. Analysts expect inflation to average 6%–8% in the coming months, but warned that higher oil prices could push it up ​further. “Energy prices should dictate the policy rate trajectory. Inflation could average around 7% during ​the second half of FY26,” AKD Securities analyst Muhammad Aliv said. Pakistan’s heavy reliance on imported fuel leaves ‌it ⁠vulnerable to global price shocks. SBP holds policy rate at 10.5% in first 2026 MPC meeting “Higher oil prices widen the trade deficit and pressure the rupee,” Waqas Ghani, head of research at JS Capital, said. Ghani said every $10 per barrel increase in crude prices adds about 0.5 percentage points to inflation, which clocked in at 7% in ​February, jumping from 5.8% ​in January. The SBP ⁠says it aims to maintain a positive real interest rate to anchor inflation expectations under Pakistan’s $7 billion IMF programme, though inflation could ​exceed its 5%–7% target range for a few months this year ​as growth ⁠picks up and imports widen the trade deficit. Pakistan to get Saudi oil thru Red Sea port Governor Jameel Ahmad told Reuters last month that policymakers remained focused on medium-term price stability, even as the economy was projected to grow 3.75%–4.75% in ⁠the financial ​year 2026, supported by stronger domestic demand and ​earlier monetary easing. Analysts said external risks, including higher oil prices, rupee pressure and a widening trade deficit, could delay ​any move toward further monetary easing.