No good news as Pakistan’s much hyped offshore drilling goes water wet
No good news as Pakistan’s much hyped offshore drilling goes water wet/node/1499136/pakistan
No good news as Pakistan’s much hyped offshore drilling goes water wet
Photo Caption: Government announced that an offshore drilling in Arabian Seas has failed to yield huge oil and gas reserves as joint venture partners including US exploration giant ExxonMobil approve plug and abandon operation – (Photo – Ministry of petroleum)
No good news as Pakistan’s much hyped offshore drilling goes water wet
The $100 million drilling project will be plugged in and abandoned in coming days
Announcement came hours after Prime Minister Khan told the country to expect good news
Updated 20 May 2019
KHURSHID AHMED
KARACHI: Pakistan on Saturday officially announced that its much publicized offshore drilling in the Arabian Sea at Kekra-1 failed to yield huge oil and gas reserves, as joint venture partners including US exploration giant ExxonMobil decided to plug the well and abandon the operation.
According to a ministry of petroleum press release, after four months of drilling to 5,492 meters, the log results showed “a good quality reservoir but unfortunately water wet without any gas effect.”
The official announcement came just hours after Prime Minister Imran Khan told the country to expect good news regarding the discovery of huge energy deposits off the Karachi coast.
“It is possible that we could find such a massive gas reserve that Pakistan would never have to purchase gas from outside,” Khan told an audience in Peshawar on Saturday evening, amid news that gas tariffs in the country would be increased by 47%.
The drilling, which had received months of political hype, was Pakistan’s 17th attempt at hitting oil and gas reserves and cost $100 million. Officials of the petroleum division maintain that the data received from the drilling will be useful for future exploration in the region.
In May 2018, ExxonMobil bought a 25 percent stake in offshore drilling in Pakistan, and hopes for the discovery of large reserves was first kindled in August 2018 when the then caretaker minister for maritime and foreign affairs, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, said the country was expected to hit reserves even bigger than Kuwait.
It was estimated that if oil deposits were discovered as expected, Pakistan would be among the world’s top ten oil-producing countries.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Qatar on Tuesday agreed to deepen their strategic and economic cooperation during high-level talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Sharif’s office said.
Sharif visited Qatar along with a high-level delegation on the invitation of Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The Pakistani premier also held meetings with Qatar’s trade and defense ministers to discuss cooperation in various domains.
The visit came at a time when Pakistan is seeking closer economic engagement with Gulf partners amid its broader push to stabilize the economy and attract investment, while maintaining security and defense cooperation with key regional states.
During their meeting in Doha, PM Sharif and Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments, according to the Pakistan prime minister’s office.
“They reaffirmed the strong brotherly relations between Pakistan and Qatar and expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum in political, economic and institutional ties,” Sharif’s office said.
“Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, energy, defense, manpower and labor and culture, with both sides stressing the importance of their task force to accelerate cooperation in all these areas.”
Pakistan and Qatar maintain strong trade and investment ties. In 2022, the office of Qatar’s emir said the Qatar Investment Authority planned to invest $3 billion in Pakistan, targeting sectors including transport, aviation, education, health, media, technology and labor.
Nearly 300,000 Pakistanis live and work in Qatar, according to Pakistan’s foreign office, with many employed in health, education, engineering and public services, as well as construction and transport. The two countries engage through forums such as the Bilateral Political Consultations and the Joint Ministerial Commission.
Sharif said he had productive discussions with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on how the two sides could transform their brotherly ties into mutually beneficial economic relationships.
“We also took stock of the regional situation,” he said on X. “Pakistan and Qatar will continue to work together for peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (second right) meets the Qatari Emir Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (left) in Doha, Qatar, on February 24, 2026. (PID)
DIALOGUE WITH AFGHANISTAN
Earlier, Sharif and Qatar’s Deputy PM Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani discussed the situation in Afghanistan and called for dialogue to support regional stability.
The meeting took place amid renewed tensions after Islamabad carried out airstrikes last week on what it described as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) targets inside Afghanistan. Kabul said the strikes killed civilians and vowed to respond to what it called a violation of its sovereignty.
“Regional developments were also discussed, in particular the situation in Iran and Afghanistan,” Sharif’s office said in a statement. “Both sides emphasized the importance of dialogue, de-escalation and collective efforts to promote peace and stability in the region.”
This was the second time in less than six months that Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan. The last strikes triggered heavy, weeklong clashes between the neighbors along their border before Qatar and Turkiye mediated a ceasefire between them in Oct. last year.
Separately, Sharif held meetings with Qatar’s State Minister for Trade Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed and a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA), highlighting Pakistan’s investment-friendly reforms.
He invited QBA members to explore opportunities in infrastructure, logistics, energy, agriculture, technology and export-oriented manufacturing, his office said.
