Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday formally launched the process of providing Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) connections to domestic consumers across the country, effectively ending a four-year suspension on new household gas supplies.
Speaking at the launch ceremony in Islamabad, the prime minister said the initiative fulfilled a long-standing public demand and demonstrated the government’s commitment to addressing citizens’ everyday challenges.
He noted that the government had imposed the ban on new gas connections in 2021 due to declining natural gas reserves, which forced many households to rely on costly alternatives such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking and heating.
Highlighting the government’s efforts, the prime minister recalled that during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government’s tenure in 2022, there was immense public pressure to restore gas connections. “At that time, gas supply was a big challenge, but we worked tirelessly to strengthen the infrastructure.
Now, with the availability of RLNG, we are able to supply gas to a large number of applicants across the country,” he stated.
The prime minister congratulated coalition government partners, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), and others, for their cooperation in restoring domestic gas supplies.
He also expressed hope that the move would bring relief to millions of households and prayed for Pakistan’s progress and prosperity, emphasizing hard work and unity to overcome economic challenges.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers, secretaries, officials of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), and parliamentarians.
In a video message, Minister for Energy Ali Pervaiz Malik shared that SNGPL had reduced its line losses to 4.93 percent and achieved a profit of Rs29 billion in the previous year, underscoring the company’s improved performance and operational efficiency.
