Pakistan moving toward severe natural gas crisis, former minister warns

December 10, 2022

By the South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain claimed that the country will have no natural gas by next year and the South Asian nation will face a severe crisis.

"I predicted in 2012 that there would be no gas in the next 10 years if the policy is not implemented, and the same thing happened as I predicted, so now I'm 80% certain that there won't be gas starting next year," the Express Tribune quoted Asim as saying.

Asim served as federal minister for petroleum during the Pakistan Peoples Party government from November 2008 until August 2009.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the cost of energy overall is $27 billion a year. "How we are going to pay this much? There were almost four BCF (billion cubic feet) of natural gas available when I left the ministry, and there are now almost 2.5 BCF; if it loses another billion, the remaining funds won't be enough," he warned.

Pakistan is already facing a severe political and economic crisis and the current 13 parties alliance government so far failed to overcome on the ongoing crisis in the country.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan repeatedly demanded for immediate general elections to bring out the country of economic and political crisis, however, the ruling alliance is not ready to go for elections because of fear of defeat.