KARACHI: The federal minister for petroleum and energy, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, has assured us that the Gas supply to CNG stations across Sindh province will be restored by Saturday and we are hoping that the government will keep its promise, Chairman Petroleum and CNG Association, Shabir Sulemanji, told Arab News on Friday.
“We have been assured that the CNG supply will be restored by tomorrow,” said Sulemanji after meeting with minister, however, the Spokesperson the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Muhammad Ali Gohar, told Arab News; “Restoration is likely but we have no official confirmation yet.”
“Efforts are afoot to restore the supply of gas to fuel stations and industrial units,” Gohar said.
Both federal minister for petroleum and energy Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Federal Minister for Power Omar Ayub flew into Karachi on Friday to meet chief minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, and leaders of CNG association.
Rasheed Channa, spokesman of CM House, said Chief Minister Sindh informed federal ministers of the losses due to closure of industrial units.
“CM Sindh also told them that transport has come to a standstill whereas it has become difficult for the people to commute,” he quoted CM as saying, adding the provincial chief executive also demanded representation of the Sindh at the boards of directors of the gas companies. The federal government has dissolved the boards, blaming members of the boards for the ongoing energy crisis.
According to Channa, petroleum minister has assured Chief minister of briefing PM Imran Khan about the situation. As the representatives of the federal government were meeting with Chief Minister, his party’s Karachi chapter staged a protest demonstration in front of the Karachi Press Club.
Sulemanji says the closure of Gas for six days has caused a loss of billions to the CNG owners across the Sindh. However, the industries and owners of the gas stations are not the only affectees of gas crisis.
“I could not take out my Rickshaw for the last five days due to closure of the fuel stations,” Muhammad Amjal, an auto rickshaw driver in his forties, told Arab News while he was waiting for passenger at Mazar-e-Quid, Karachi.
“I earn Rs1,000 by spending CNG of RS300 during a day. However, Today, as I took out my Rikshaw after four days break, I put in petrol of Rs400 and earned RS400, meaning I drove the Rikshaw half of the day for nothing,” Amjal said.
Zain Ali, who works at private office, says his car, which has CNG-only-facility, is standing at home for last one week and he is using two-wheeler for commuting to office. “The closure of Public transport has affected the life of many and my colleague using public transport are unable to attend office,” Ali told Arab News.
Spokesperson of the SSGC says the supply was halted due to maintenances issues at Gambat Gas Field.
However, experts say the problem is owing to lack of coordination and mismanagement.
“Its difficult to quantify the loss at this moment but the closure of CNG has certainly resulted in huge losses besides exposing the lack of coordination and management issues in government departments,” Samiullah Tariq, a Karachi based energy expert, told Arab News.
The situation at production field was indeed out of control of the distribution companies, including the SSGC but one can’t give them complete waiver of responsibility as the failure of compressors in high demand season and not forecasting the high demand is all exposing authorities at power supply companies and relevant government ministries, Tariq said.
Tariq also questioned the government’s decision to dissolve the boards, saying although it was prerogative of the current regime to remove the board appointed by previous regime but the timing may not be right and may add to the problem.
“Besides, the CNG fuelling stations and commuters, the six-day long closure has also caused loss to industry,” Tariq opined.
Govt assures the resumption of gas supply to CNG stations’ in Karachi
Govt assures the resumption of gas supply to CNG stations’ in Karachi
- Experts say lack of coordination, planning and mismanagement in high demanding season is main reason of crisis
- The ruling party of Sindh, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), held a protest demo against the lack of gas supply
Pakistan invites investors, innovators to back tech partnerships, announces national AI event
- Indus AI Week 2026 to run Feb. 9–15 as IT minister cites inclusive AI policy launched last year
- The week-long event will bring together relevant officials, startups, investors and universities
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday invited foreign investors and technology innovators to engage with its emerging artificial intelligence ecosystem as the government announced a week-long national AI initiative aimed at accelerating adoption across the public and private sectors.
Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the government would host Indus AI Week 2026 from Feb. 9 to 15, building on Pakistan’s National Artificial Intelligence Policy introduced last year to promote responsible use of the technology.
The announcement comes as Pakistan seeks to position itself as a credible participant in the global AI economy, amid growing interest from governments in the Global South to harness AI for productivity, skills development and innovation while managing regulatory and ethical risks.
“With the introduction of Pakistan’s National AI Policy last year, we laid the foundation for responsible and inclusive AI development,” Khawaja said, according to an official statement circulated by her ministry. “Indus AI Week reflects our determination to take that work further by moving beyond dialogue and toward adoption.”
“We invite international partners, investors and innovators to engage with Pakistan’s growing AI landscape,” she added.
The initiative will be organized by the IT ministry through a public-private partnership and is designed as an open national platform bringing together policymakers, technology firms, startups, universities, students and the wider public.
The program will include a national technology showcase, startup and innovation sessions linking founders with investors, skills training and certification opportunities and public engagement activities aimed at translating AI policy into practical use cases.
The week will open with the Indus AI Summit at Islamabad’s Jinnah Convention Center on Feb. 9, followed by an innovation and learning arena at the Islamabad Sports Complex on Feb. 9-10, with universities, companies and public institutions across the country hosting parallel events through Feb. 15.
