Govt cannot provide ‘cheaper gas beyond certain limit’

Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar on Friday said the federal government cannot provide cheaper gas to consumers than a certain limit.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the energy minister said that the demand for gas from domestic consumers increases in the winter and the government stops its supply to the industrial sector to meet this domestic demand.

“We cannot provide cheaper gas beyond a certain limit,” he added.

According to Azhar, the gas reserves in Pakistan were declining, but the government was making efforts to meet the shortfall of gas. “We can supply only as much as coming out of the ground,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s gas reserves were declining by nine per cent on an annual basis.

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The minister said domestic consumers could not be provided with “expensive” LNG from the global market. He added that at least 10-11 LNG cargoes will arrive soon in Pakistan.

Speaking about the shortage of gas in Karachi, Azhar said the government was working to solve the shortage faced by the residents of the port city. He said due to a ruling by the Sindh High Court that barred the government from suspending gas supply to the industrial sector, the domestic consumers were facing difficulties.

He said the government will present its version at the next hearing in the SHC.