Pakistan is staring at a potentially severe Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) shortage in the upcoming winter season unless immediate administrative steps are taken to resolve official pricing structures and restore disrupted transport corridors in Balochistan.
According to Khawaja Nouman Ahmed, leader of the LPG industry’s organising committee, unfavourable domestic conditions have prevented the sector from building its essential summer inventories. Because imports have remained highly restricted, the industry has been unable to stockpile the necessary buffer reserves before seasonal demand begins its annual surge in mid-August.
The crisis stems from a combination of regulatory disputes and logistics bottlenecks. The industry argues that the LPG price notified by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) fails to reflect actual import costs and operational overheads. This disparity makes it economically unviable for private companies to arrange additional import shipments.
Vital transport routes through Balochistan, the primary transit corridor for land-route LPG imports, have faced constant disruption due to deteriorating law and order, severely stalling the movement of gas tankers.
Following initial discussions at the All Pakistan LPG Conference, a 20-member industry delegation presented these issues directly to officials from OGRA and the Petroleum Division of the Ministry of Energy. While the initial talks were described as constructive, the committee warned that without a swift price revision and guaranteed security on key highways, domestic consumers will face high prices and widespread fuel shortages as soon as temperatures drop. The industry expects a definitive policy response from the government by the end of the week.
