New gas connections expand nationwide as govt rolls out winter relief

New gas connections expand nationwide as govt rolls out winter relief

The government has revived new gas connections nationwide. File photo

January, 6 2026

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk): Gas connections are being expanded nationwide as millions of consumers have applied for this facility across the country since the announcement.

The decision was shared 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 on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to protect consumers from further financial strain.

After the announcement, millions of consumers applied for new gas connections. However, officials said processing slowed due to a serious shortage of sales staff at Sui Northern.

Authorities said the process of providing new RLNG connections has now resumed after the ban was lifted and all available resources are being used to serve consumers as quickly as possible.

During the meeting, the minister said the gas sector’s circular debt has stopped increasing and no new debt is being generated. He added that Qatar continued to honour its contract terms despite difficult conditions, which helped Pakistan manage its gas supply situation.

Ali Pervaiz Malik said Sui gas companies have been directed to provide LNG connections not only to households paying urgent fees but also to domestic consumers applying without urgent charges.

He said gas prices will not be increased for the next six months under the prime minister’s directive. He added that reforms have helped control circular debt and that an agreement has been reached to divert extra LNG cargoes from Qatar to the international market.

The minister said these reforms will ensure stable gas prices for all consumers. He said the government is offering maximum relief in winter and that gas supply to domestic users has improved across the country.

He also said no local gas field has been shut down and power plants are receiving more gas than their actual demand.

Sui gas officials told the committee that unaccounted-for gas losses in SNGPL have reduced 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 to provide better service to consumers.

They recalled that in October last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the reopening of domestic gas connections nationwide. He said the move 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.