SNGPL Extends Indefinite Ban on New Gas Connections as Winter Shortfall Deepens

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has extended its indefinite ban on new domestic gas connections as disrupted regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) supplies deepen the country's gas shortfall at the start of the winter season, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The restriction is not limited to households. Commercial connections, including those for tandoors and hotels, have also been stopped from this month. Thousands of consumers who have already paid the urgent fee remain without connections, and no timeline has been provided for when service might be restored.

SNGPL officials said the ban was directed by the Ministry of Petroleum and is unlikely to be lifted until the conflict between Iran and the United States ends, a condition that leaves the timeline for restoring connections highly uncertain. The government had first halted new gas connections in April over the same RLNG disruption.

As winter sets in, gas demand has risen sharply, making it difficult to maintain supply even for existing domestic consumers. With piped gas unavailable to many households, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has become the primary alternative, and its cost is climbing. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has set the official price of an 11.8-kg domestic cylinder at Rs. 3,470.09 for November, up Rs. 173.86 from October.

In practice, however, LPG is reportedly selling at around Rs. 600 per kilogram in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other parts of the country, putting the cost of a cylinder at roughly Rs. 7,080 — about Rs. 3,610 above the official rate. A family using two cylinders a month during winter would pay around Rs. 14,160 at market rates, compared with Rs. 6,940 at the official price.

The government is already reviewing its LPG policy as prices continue to climb. For now, consumers who have paid the urgent fee have no date for connection, with restoration dependent on an improvement in gas supplies that officials say is tied to external geopolitical conditions.

The prolonged ban underscores the strain on the country's gas distribution network and the growing burden on households that must rely on costlier alternative fuels through the winter months.