Government drafting policy to shield poor households from LPG price rise

Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik told the National Assembly on Monday that the government is preparing a policy to protect low-income households from rising liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices, with winter expected to push up demand for alternative fuels.

Answering a Calling Attention Notice on the sharp increase in LPG prices, the minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had already held two to three meetings on the issue. He said the prime minister was fully aware of the difficulties faced by consumers and that progress would be visible soon.

Malik said the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority's notified rate of Rs280 applied to locally produced LPG, while no policy was currently in place for imported LPG.

The proposed policy, he said, would examine supply difficulties through land borders and arrangements to import alternative supplies from Oman and Saudi Arabia. A comprehensive policy would be presented soon to improve supplies and provide relief to deserving consumers, he told the house.

Explaining the pricing mechanism, the minister said locally produced LPG was also linked to the international contract price set by Saudi Aramco, which had risen to $705 per tonne and was contributing to changes in notified prices, the Daily Times reported. He said the government was examining additional costs associated with LPG supplies because no adequate mechanism existed to cover them. Locally produced and imported LPG could not be treated differently in the market, he added, and enforcement action by OGRA could create further complications.

Malik also said Pakistan's gas supply had been affected by the suspension of around 900 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) of gas from Qatar because of the war, forcing the government to ration available supplies. He acknowledged that demand for alternative fuels would rise as winter approached, according to the Daily Times.

The National Assembly later passed seven government bills clause by clause by majority vote: the Frontier Constabulary (Re-organization) Bill, 2025; the Pakistan Study Centres (Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Travel Agencies (Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Pakistan Tourist Guides (Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Pakistan Hotels and Restaurants (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and the Motion Pictures (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The National College of Arts Institute (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was then taken up for passage, but MNA Sohail Sultan pointed out a lack of quorum.