During a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Petroleum, Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik said gas prices will remain unchanged. He said the decision was taken on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to protect the public from further financial pressure.
The minister said the gas sector’s circular debt is no longer increasing and no new debt is being created. He added that Qatar stood by its contract terms despite a difficult situation, helping Pakistan manage gas supplies.
Ali Pervaiz Malik said Sui gas companies have been instructed to provide LNG connections not only to households paying urgent fees but also to domestic consumers applying without urgent charges.
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He said gas prices will not be increased for the next six months on the prime minister’s directive. He added that reforms have helped stop the rise in circular debt and that an agreement has been reached to shift extra LNG cargoes from Qatar to the international market.
The minister said these reforms will keep gas prices stable for all consumers. He said the government is providing maximum relief during winter and that gas supply to domestic users across the country has improved.
He also said no local gas field has been shut down and power plants are receiving more gas than their required demand.
Sui gas officials told the committee that unaccounted-for gas losses in SNGPL have dropped from 9 percent to 5 percent, while losses in SSGC have fallen from 17 percent to 10 percent. They said an IoT-based monitoring system is active, allowing immediate alerts in case of pressure drops.
Officials said gas supply hours have been extended from 5am to 10pm.
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They recalled that in October last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the reopening of domestic gas connections nationwide. He said the decision had been delayed earlier due to gas shortages and heavy pressure when the PDM government took office in 2022.
The prime minister said that after a long wait, domestic consumers are now being provided connections for regasified liquefied natural gas RLNG as a quality fuel.
After the announcement, millions of consumers applied for new gas connections. However, officials said processing was delayed due to a severe shortage of sales staff at Sui Northern.
Authorities said the process of providing new RLNG connections has now started after the ban was lifted and all resources are being used to facilitate consumers as quickly as possible.
Holding gas prices steady brings short-term relief to households. Lower gas losses show reforms are starting to work. Faster connections can improve public trust if delays are reduced.
