A gas shortage in Pakistan today is biting hard in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, where cold weather, piped natural gas for only about six hours a day, and soaring liquified petroleum gas (LPG) prices have pushed many households to cook on wood and coal.
Residents say Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) supply is limited to short slots—roughly 7am to 9am, noon to 2pm, and 6pm to 9pm—while LPG bought from private sellers has climbed far above the rate set by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), the official price-setter for the fuel. Shopkeepers and consumers describe private rates near Rs600 per kg against Ogra’s fixed Rs279 per kg. An 11kg domestic cylinder is being sold for about Rs6,500; commercial cylinders are quoted above Rs25,000.
Limited Sui hours and local pressure problems
Mohammad Sajjad of Media Town said he bought LPG because piped gas arrives only in those meal-time windows. Low pressure has disrupted daily routines, he said, and SNGPL has not fixed the problem. Israr Ahmed of Gowalmandi said the squeeze began with colder weather: gas for about six hours a day forced his household to buy an LPG cylinder as an extra cost.
Abdul Rasheed, also of Gowalmandi, said the shortage has lasted more than a month. He blamed small factories in the area for drawing gas from the line with compressors, and said repeated complaints to the relevant department brought no relief.
SNGPL officials said the company has published a schedule covering breakfast, lunch and dinner times. They also said LPG is not available with the company and that cylinder supply to domestic and commercial users in the twin cities stopped two months ago. Supply will resume, they said, once LPG arrives at Karachi port.
LPG far above the official rate
District administrators and Ogra have not ensured LPG at the fixed price, residents and traders say. Mohammad Akmal, a shopkeeper on Ch. Bostan Khan Road, said cylinder sales have risen sharply: people who once came from outlying areas to refill now share demand with local buyers who refill about once a week. Dealers charge high wholesale rates; he said decanting is not allowed, yet refill demand continues because households have few options.
Office-bearers of the LPG Association said about 70% of gas consumed in Pakistan is imported and only about 30% is produced at home. They linked higher LPG prices to disrupted international transport of oil and gas, warned that winter demand is likely to lift prices further, and said supply snags have also created an LPG shortage. They added that the government has banned sales at refill points, leaving wholesale dealers as the permitted sellers.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Two months ago: SNGPL stops LPG cylinder supply to domestic and commercial consumers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, officials said.
- Over a month ago: Gowalmandi residents report the piped-gas squeeze intensifying; complaints to departments bring no lasting relief, they say.
- Start of cold weather: households describe gas for about six hours a day and turn to LPG, wood and coal.
- Recent weeks: private LPG quoted near Rs600 per kg; 11kg domestic cylinders around Rs6,500; commercial cylinders above Rs25,000.
- Now: SNGPL says cylinders will return when LPG lands at Karachi port; association office-bearers expect further winter price pressure.
Restaurants feel the squeeze
Mohammad Farooq Chaudhry, president of the Rawalpindi Restaurants Caterers, Sweets and Bakers Association, said food outlets are among the worst hit. With SNGPL cylinders gone, private firms sell LPG at about Rs600 per kg, he said, while the district administration and Ogra have not curbed the mark-up.
The gas shortage in Pakistan today, as felt in the twin cities, therefore spans both the piped network and the bottled market: short Sui windows at home, scarce official cylinders, and private LPG priced well above the regulator’s rate—leaving wood and coal as the fallback for many kitchens.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Twin cities mein sui gas din mein sirf kuch ghanton ke liye aa rahi hai. LPG cylinder bohot mehnga hai—lagbhag 6,500 rupay ka 11 kilo wala. Log lakri aur koile se khana paka rahe hain. Ghar aur hotels dono ko cooking ke liye zyada kharcha aur pareshani ho rahi hai.
