Pakistan's gas mess: LPG prices soar, imported LNG piles up and the debt bill keeps growing

Expensive cylinders, dwindling reserves: Inside Pakistan's deepening gas crisis A domestic LPG cylinder that cost around PKR 4,500 in Pakistan's Balochistan province has shot up to nearly PKR 7,000. In some parts of the country, LPG prices have reached PKR 600 per kg, more than double the official rate. With supplies disrupted following the closure of key border crossings with Iran, households are struggling to find affordable cooking fuel. Some have even begun turning to wood and coal.But the shortage has exposed a much bigger problem. Pakistan's domestic natural gas production has been declining, its dependence on expensive imports has grown, and debts across its gas sector have reached trillions of rupees. Yet, even as households struggle with shortages, the country has also been dealing with surplus imported LNG that it cannot easily use or sell.A supply shock ahead of winterOn October 21, 2026, Dawn reported that LPG prices had climbed to as much as PKR 600 per kg in hilly areas and PKR 500 per kg in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, even though the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had fixed the official October rate at around PKR 279 per kg. The regulator's notified price...