Overview
- The freeze applies to all consumer categories for the next six months, the petroleum minister told a National Assembly panel.
- Officials are considering raising the petroleum levy by about Rs4–5 per litre to bolster gas-sector finances, with a committee led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar examining debt-clearance options.
- The government says the flow of new circular debt in gas has been contained, though reported estimates of the existing stock vary from roughly Rs1.7 trillion to more than Rs3 trillion.
- Pakistan says it reached an arrangement with Qatar to divert surplus LNG cargoes to the international market within contract terms, and officials indicated only seven of ten monthly shipments will now be taken.
- Operational measures cited include extended household supply hours, UFG losses reduced to 5% at SNGPL and 10% at SSGC, and deployment of IoT-based monitoring on the network.