Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar on Thursday said he was hopeful that the gas shortage issue would be resolved, admitting that the government could not provide the fuel source through expensive imports beyond a limit.

Pakistan has been facing severe shortage of gas this winter, forcing residents to buy cylinders to keep at their homes whereas many people were facing low gas pressure. Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) has said that it currently faces shortage of around 250 to 260 mmcfd, with demand in winter rising to 1,250 mmcfd.

Complaining about the scarcity of gas, domestic consumers wanted the government to remember their claims of providing gas at least three times a day. However, gas is not available even once.

Many areas of major cities do not receive gas the entire day. Affected cities include Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Peshawar, Multan, Gujranwala and Hyderabad.

It was also reported the prices of wood and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders also shot up, while people were forced to stand in queues to fill their cylinders. The shortage of gas and its low pressure also forced hotel owners to use LPG cylinders.

Many households are also now complaining about not being able to cook at home and of taking cold showers, while they are still being charged for gas. People are forced not to entertain

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Azhar said the system has faced depletion of output with a nine percent reduction each year.

“There is a stay order on the provision of gas to priority areas, which we will also bring up in the next hearing on December 30,” said Azhar. He said for the past several years, the system has faced a gas shortage in the winter season, while the demand has increased three to five times.

"On the other hand, Pakistan’s natural gas reserves are depleting by nine percent a year, with gas levels down by 18% in the past two years, while demand for domestic and industrial usage is on the rise," Azhar said.

Earlier, the managing director (MD) of Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd (SSGC) admitted before the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Energy that the domestic sector in Sindh, particularly in Karachi, was facing a gas shortage because supply to industries could not be curtailed due to the stay order from court and an insufficient LNG supply.