Pakistan is consuming more gas than ever, even as domestic production continues to fall. With the country’s energy gap growing, could clean cooking offer a way forward? You! takes a look…
gas crisis
Iwas about to finish cooking the biryani when the gas supply suddenly stopped. It was time for my children to come home from school and there was no lunch ready for them. I then had to order food from outside. The gas supply is only available during scheduled hours and when it suddenly goes out, it becomes a nightmare. I have four growing children and they constantly need snacks. For middle-class people like us, ordering food from outside puts a dent in our pockets,” shares Shaista Abbas, a resident of PECHS, Karachi.
“Only a few years ago, our monthly gas bill came in the hundreds; now, it comes in the thousands. We took our gas bill for granted but now we take it very seriously,” says Mrs Rehana Sharif, a resident of Gulzar-e-Hijri, Scheme 33, Karachi. “The spike in gas prices is one thing but now you also have to cook within scheduled timings, which is quite irksome. In our area, gas usually comes around noon and goes off by 3 pm. Then, it comes again around 6:30 pm and remains available until 9:30 pm. If a guest comes around 4 or 5 pm, you cannot offer them tea or fried items because there is no gas,” Mrs Sharif explains.
“The low gas pressure in my area, Malir Cantt, has made things even more difficult, as I am unable to complete my kitchen work on time and as a result, arrive late at the hospital almost every day,” expresses Dr Nausheen Adnan, a working mother.
When it comes to Lyari, the gas situation is even worse. “People in Lyari already live in deplorable conditions and now the unavailability of gas in our area has placed an additional burden on us. There is no gas in our area and we have to rely on cylinders which are very expensive for poor people in Lyari. A single 1 kg cylinder costs PKR 400, which is only sufficient for one day. How can poor people in Lyari afford it when most of them are daily wage earners?” comments Najma Werag, a social activist from Lyari.
She also points out that the water in their area is contaminated and not suitable for drinking. “We boil the water to make it drinkable but when there is no gas, how can we boil the water? Contaminated water exposes us to diseases and illnesses. A cheaper option is to cook food using firewood but it is very risky because the lanes in our area are extremely narrow and the flames could easily cause a fire,” explains Najma.
Gas loadshedding has disrupted every stratum of society. Long hours of gas outages have forced people to purchase liquefied natural gas (LNG) cylinders. Those who cannot afford the high cost of these cylinders have to adjust their cooking routines according to the scheduled gas supply timings. “While allocating gas supply timings, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) should have kept women’s struggles in mind,” comments Shaista Abbas.
For millions of Pakistani households, the gas stove is more than a kitchen appliance. It is part of the country’s energy system - a system built over decades on the assumption that natural gas would remain relatively cheap, abundant and accessible. Since the 1950s, natural gas has been a primary household fuel in Pakistan, with millions of households connected to the national gas distribution network. However, this assumption is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. Indigenous gas reserves are no longer sufficient to meet the country’s growing domestic demand, increasing Pakistan’s reliance on imported gas.
While gas loadshedding has unfortunately become a recurring reality in Pakistan, the current situation in Karachi and other parts of the country is particularly worrisome. What was once a matter of periodic shortages has now escalated into widespread and in some areas, complete suspension of gas supply - often in clear violation of the schedules announced by the government.
From high-end restaurants in Lahore to dhabas in Karachi and home kitchens in Quetta, everyone is relying on gas cylinders because piped gas is either unavailable or its pressure is simply too unreliable.
Pakistan’s gas demand has risen significantly in recent years, while domestic exploration and production have continued to decline. At the same time, weaknesses in the LNG operational and regulatory framework have further constrained the country’s ability to bridge the supply-demand gap. Together, these factors have contributed to a nationwide gas shortage and substantially increased the cost of gas supply.
Global energy markets are facing heightened uncertainty as shipping disruptions caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing Middle East conflict intensify. Asian economies that rely heavily on imported LNG are becoming increasingly vulnerable to energy security risks. Reuters reported that the recent disruptions have pushed Asian mdb prices sharply higher, forcing Pakistan to seek expensive spot cargoes.
While shedding light on the current gas shortage, Zeenia Shaukat, Director of The Knowledge Forum - a local think tank that works to produce knowledge-based resources on human rights and development – comments, “Gas reserves in Pakistan have been declining for around two decades. Only 22 per cent of the country’s population has access to piped gas, while the rest still have to depend on either cylinders or firewood. There have been efforts to address the gas shortage through LNG
imports but these have come with significant
economic costs, provincial disparities and pricing issues. Now, with the Hormuz crisis and the earlier Ukraine war contributing to supply instability, the situation has led to greater economic uncertainty.”
Despite Sindh producing roughly 60 per cent of Pakistan’s natural gas, rural communities are frequently left without a reliable supply. This energy crisis places an overwhelming and disproportionate burden on women. Because women are culturally designated as the primary caregivers and homemakers, the energy crisis directly undermines their health, safety and economic potential.
Reports by the Indus Consortium, an NGO, highlight that energy crises, fossil fuel extraction and gas and fuel shortages disproportionately burden women in rural Sindh. Because rural households lack reliable access to piped natural gas, women face serious health risks. According to modelling conducted by the Indus Consortium in the predominantly rural districts of Ghotki, Badin, Tando Allahyar and Sanghar, which are among the primary gas-producing districts of Sindh, “Due to the scarcity or absence of gas, women are forced to rely on biomass (wood, dried dung and crop residue) for cooking. Indoor air pollution from burning these materials leads to chronic respiratory infections, eye irritation and severe skin and stomach ailments.”
For Mehrunisa Awan, life has been a constant struggle as the gas crisis has intensified. “In my district, there is so much gas loadshedding that you waste precious hours waiting for the gas to come. Either you get a cylinder or cook with firewood, which is a cheaper option but takes a toll on women’s health. They
fall sick because of the constant smoke that enters their respiratory systems,” Mehrunisa laments.
Commenting on the poor hygiene conditions in rural Sindh, Samina Kalwar, a native social worker, observes, “People across Sindh do not have access to clean drinking water, especially in Ghotki and Sanghar. Since people hardly have access to gas, they cannot boil the water before drinking it and are forced to consume contaminated water, which is a major cause of diseases among women and children, including asthma and skin diseases.”
“The fixed gas timings are another nuisance. I am a working mother with school-going children. I need to prepare breakfast and finish my kitchen work before 9 am but the gas mostly goes out in the morning, making it difficult for me to complete my tasks,” says Samina.
“Almost all the people of Ghotki are fed up with the continuous gas loadshedding and the inflated gas bills have made matters even worse. A normal household receives a gas bill of around PKR 10,000 to PKR 12,000, which is far too much. We used to receive gas bills of between PKR 3,000 and PKR 4,000 but now the amount has increased manyfold,” complains Razia Parveen, a resident of Ghotki.
Talking about the health and climate costs of gas-based cooking, Shazia Nizamani, an advocate and activist based in Sindh, explains, “Gas is mostly methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO over short timeframes and leaks occur at multiple points, including during extraction and pipeline transport, as well as from stoves themselves when they are not in use. Several studies have found that gas stoves leak small amounts of unburned methane even when turned off, due to leaks from pipe fittings and valves. The leakage problem makes gas cooking’s climate footprint larger than its combustion emissions alone suggest - even a small leak rate across a national residential network can add up, given methane’s outsized near-term warming effect.”
Zeenia endorses Shazia, “The transportation of gas through pipelines is one of the major causes of methane emissions, as a significant amount of gas transported from production sites to consumption points is lost due to ageing pipelines and theft. This results in higher gas costs, which affect the economy, industry and household well-being.”
“My heart breaks daily seeing the endless influx of women travelling from rural Sindh, exhausted and suffering from entirely preventable illnesses. They arrive at our hospital with severe waterborne diseases, chronic respiratory infections and advanced reproductive health issues, all because they are forced to drink contaminated water and cook over open wood fires in confined, poorly ventilated spaces. We are failing them at a systemic level and treating their symptoms feels like a temporary band-aid when the root causes of their suffering lie in the lack of basic human necessities, such as clean water and safe energy,” shares Dr Nausheen, Associate Professor at Karachi Institute of Medical Sciences, CMH Malir Cantt.
This is where rooftop solar and electric cooking deserve serious consideration.
Instead of the conventional pathway - gas field pipeline household stove - the alternative would be: sunlight electricity induction cooker.
Solar-electric cooking provides an alternative to conventional gas-based cooking by using electricity generated from rooftop solar PV (photovoltaic) systems. Efficient electric cooking appliances produce no direct emissions inside the household, eliminating the risks associated with gas combustion and household gas leaks. Generating electricity locally through rooftop solar can also reduce dependence on imported fuels, international energy markets and centralised gas supply infrastructure.
With an appropriately sized solar PV system, inverter and battery, where required, solar-electric cooking can support household cooking during both daytime and evening hours. However, the practicality of this option depends on more than the availability of solar resources. Affordability and reliability are influenced by the initial system cost, access to financing, appropriate system sizing, installation quality, equipment performance and the availability of maintenance and after-sales services.
Pakistan already has a growing rooftop solar market, while Sindh has experience with development-financed solar programmes. The World Bank-supported Sindh Solar Energy Project was designed to increase solar generation and expand access to electricity across the province.
This scribe conducted a tour of various markets in Karachi, including those in Saddar, Liaquatabad, Bolton Market and Juna Market. The visit provided valuable insight into the rapidly growing market for solar-compatible electric stoves, as households increasingly seek affordable alternatives in response to rising utility costs and frequent shortages of natural gas (Sui gas).
“People are growing increasingly frustrated with prolonged gas shortages and are turning to solar-compatible electric stoves as an alternative,” said Faizan, a salesman at WB Electronics in Juna Market. He said basic electric stoves and single hot plates are generally available for around PKR 1,200 to PKR 2,500, while more advanced infrared and digital touch-panel cookers from brands such as RAF, Geepas and Sogo cost approximately PKR 5,000 to PKR 16,000. According to him, locally manufactured models typically range from PKR 5,000 to PKR 6,000, whereas imported brands can cost up to PKR 16,000.
“In recent months, sales of electric cooking appliances - including single- and double-burner hot plates, infrared cookers, induction cooktops and electric stoves - have increased significantly. Many of these appliances, which typically consume between 1,000W and 3,500W, can be operated using suitable home solar panel and inverter systems,” said Waqas, a salesman at Bahaar Electronics in Liaquatabad, Karachi.
Fiza Naz Qureshi, Gas Campaigner at Big Shift Global, strongly believes that solar-electric cooking can reduce pressure on Pakistan’s gas network.
“Cooking is one of the areas where households can progressively shift away from fossil gas through electric induction cooking, particularly where electricity is available and, increasingly, where households have rooftop solar.
“Pakistan already has very high electricity access for lighting. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reports that electricity or solar is the main source of lighting for 96 per cent of households, while gas remains a major cooking fuel. This means we don’t necessarily need to build a completely new energy system to begin the transition. We can start by connecting solar generation, efficient appliances and electricity to cooking,” says Fiza.
“Of course, this needs to be designed carefully. For low-income households, appliance costs, electricity tariffs, reliability and access to financing matter. But technically, electric cooking can reduce demand on the gas distribution network and reduce dependence on imported LNG,” Fiza continues.
Solar-electric cooking reduces indoor NO exposure in kitchens, which is a genuine co-benefit of switching,” says Shazia Nizamani, who has more than 20 years of professional experience in the field of social development.
“Yes, certainly,” agrees Zeenia Shaukat. However, she points out, “There is a question of who gets access to solar equipment and the quality of that equipment. The issue of access is closely related to finance. We need to ask how an economy dominated by informal employment, where access to the minimum wage is available to hardly 20 per cent of workers, can afford to invest in solar equipment.”
“In places like Karachi, where there is an acute shortage of space in built-up areas, there is also the question of whether households have adequate space to install solar equipment. Unfortunately, the city’s planners have not provided a solution to ensure access to clean energy for cooking among these households. Obviously, women are the worst affected by this inequality, as they bear the responsibility for providing food and heating for their families,” Zeenia elaborates.
“Economically, solar-electric cooking isn’t a standalone product that competes with LPG; it’s a very good marginal use of solar capacity that people are already buying for other reasons. As a first-line national strategy, it works well when layered onto the ongoing solar boom, particularly for households that can afford the initial investment. It needs the right financing and subsidy structure to reach households for whom the upfront cost, rather than the running cost, is the actual barrier,” suggests Shazia.
“There needs to be a multipronged approach. A revision of the gas-use policy, directing existing resources towards more productive uses that generate economic activity, employment and wages, will lead to more equitable outcomes. For households, access to solarisation through easier access to financing, alongside the re-planning of cities to address issues of density and spatial inequalities in housing, will ensure that households are able to benefit from solarisation and other climate solutions,” recommends Zeenia Shaukat.
“There is also a need to move away from dependence on thermal power generation. In the wake of unprecedented solarisation in Pakistan, there is little sense in continuing to invest in thermal power generation, which has repeatedly exposed our population to an inconsistent and expensive electricity supply,” adds Zeenia.
According to Fiza, a national clean-cooking programme should be designed as a national energy-transition programme centred on households and communities. It could have five components:
1. Identify where the transition makes sense first. Start with urban and peri-urban areas where access to electricity is already relatively strong, as well as communities where gas shortages are persistent.
2. Make appliances affordable. Provide targeted subsidies, financing or vouchers for efficient induction and electric cooking appliances, particularly for low-income households.
3. Link cooking with solar. Where appropriate, combine electric cooking with rooftop or community solar so that households are less exposed to increases in electricity prices.
4. Invest in the electricity system. Clean cooking cannot work reliably if the electricity supply is unreliable. Distribution upgrades and appropriate energy storage should therefore be part of the programme.
5. Put women and communities at the centre. Cooking is not simply an energy issue; it is also a household and gender issue. Women often bear the time, health and financial costs associated with cooking-fuel insecurity. They should therefore be involved in designing, testing and evaluating the solutions.
Multilateral development banks (MDBs) have historically supported the expansion, rehabilitation and modernisation of Pakistan’s gas infrastructure. These investments have contributed, to some extent, to improving gas access and network efficiency. However, the current gas crisis appears to have been overlooked or insufficiently addressed by MDBs in their investments in the gas sector, contributing to a gas/RLNG lock-in in Pakistan.
With the decline in local gas reserves in Pakistan and disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Qatar, a primary supplier of RLNG, has announced force majeure. As a result, RLNG is neither available to the power sector, leading to a 28 per cent shortfall in electricity generation, nor sufficiently available for household consumption.
According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2023–24, gas-sector circular debt stands at PKR 2.86 trillion, while power-sector circular debt amounts to PKR 2.63 trillion. Gas is one of the major contributors to circular debt in both sectors. The reliance on imported LNG for power generation and other sectors has placed an additional economic burden on Pakistan and has also increased risks to the country’s energy security. If MDBs continue to finance new gas infrastructure in the future, Pakistan could face a higher risk of stranded assets as domestic gas production declines and the cost of imported gas remains uncertain. New investments may also reinforce household and institutional dependence on gas, making the transition toward cleaner and decentralised energy options more difficult and potentially increasing the financial burden on consumers and the government.
This is where multilateral development banks (MDBs) could play a transformative role. MDBs, including the World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and other development partners active in Pakistan, should integrate clean cooking into their strategic country frameworks. They should prioritise clean cooking across their short-, medium- and long-term country programmes by providing technical assistance, policy advisory services and institutional capacity-building support to federal and provincial governments. This support should help create an enabling policy and regulatory environment and ensure that clean cooking is incorporated into national and provincial policy frameworks, Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) allocations and other public financing mechanisms.
MDBs should establish dedicated financing facilities that provide concessional loans, grants and blended finance to support the adoption of residential solar PV and electric cooking systems, particularly among low-and middle-income households. These financing mechanisms should also support the implementation of demonstration pilot projects across all four provinces of Pakistan to validate scalable and inclusive clean cooking solutions. This will help Pakistan continue its path toward a Just Energy Transition by promoting clean cooking integrated with rooftop solar. Rooftop solar capacity has surpassed 8,000 MW through net metering, with an additional 12,000 MW operating behind the meter. Supporting the existing consumer-led rooftop solar transition can help reduce Pakistan’s import bill, lower circular debt and provide affordable, accessible and clean cooking solutions. It will also contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reducing fossil-fuel emissions and meeting Pakistan’s climate targets.
The question now is whether development finance should go one step further. Instead of concentrating primarily on keeping an increasingly vulnerable fossil-fuel system functioning, multilateral development banks (MDBs) could help Pakistan build a more resilient clean cooking system and strengthen energy security.
“MDBs should not simply finance more gas infrastructure while calling it a transition fuel. Instead, they could use their financing to support the infrastructure that enables households to move away from gas, including distributed solar, grid improvements, efficient appliances, storage, concessional consumer finance and clean-cooking programmes.
This is particularly important for Pakistan because households and public institutions may not have the upfront capital needed to make the transition themselves.
MDB financing could therefore help de-risk the transition and make clean cooking affordable, rather than locking Pakistan into another generation of fossil-fuel infrastructure,” advises Fiza.
“MDBs should support Pakistan’s clean energy transition programme and invest in grid modernisation, which is a major barrier to accommodating renewable energy in the system. If the grid is made more flexible to integrate clean energy, it will be a game changer for Pakistan. Battery storage is another solution for making clean energy more sustainable within the system,” emphasises Hussain Jarwar, CEO of the Indus Consortium.
“MDBs should not continue their conventional approach of either supporting fossil fuels, such as gas pipelines and storage or supporting false solutions, such as investing in mega-hydropower projects in Pakistan. Clean energy, which is indigenous, affordable and accessible, should be supported through grid stability and storage. This will also support Pakistan’s EV uptake and reduce reliance on expensive imported fuel,” adds Hussain.
He believes that clean cooking powered by rooftop solar can empower women and help make Pakistan more energy secure.
The current crisis demonstrates the vulnerability of relying on a fuel that has to travel through pipelines, terminals and international shipping routes before reaching the stove.
Solar-electric cooking offers a fundamentally different model: produce energy locally, use it efficiently and reduce dependence on a fuel whose price and availability are increasingly determined beyond Pakistan’s borders.
The transition will not be easy. It will require investment, reliable electricity, affordable appliances, storage and careful protection for low-income households.
For Pakistan - and particularly for gas-producing Sindh - the question is no longer simply where the next gas molecule will come from. It is whether the country should continue building its kitchens around imported fossil fuels or begin designing them around an energy resource that arrives every morning for free: the sun.
This scribe spoke to Salman A. Siddiqui, spokesperson for SSGC, about the current gas crisis. Here’s what he had to say.
You! What is the single biggest reason behind Pakistan’s current gas shortage?
Salman A. Siddiqui: There is no single reason for the current gas shortage. Some of the major reasons are as follows:
1. Natural depletion: Gas production has declined by approximately 50 per cent over the last 10 years.
2. Non-availability of Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG): The war situation has affected the availability of RLNG.
3. Malfunctions at gas fields: Unplanned shutdowns caused by malfunctions at gas fields have resulted in a compromised system line pack.
You! How much gas is lost through theft and leakages?
SAS: Theft and leakages are major factors contributing to gas losses, alongside measurement errors. Major leaky areas are being rehabilitated to help reduce line losses. However, despite the increase in gas tariffs since 2023–24, theft is still on the rise, particularly in Balochistan, where we are making efforts to reduce and control it. Gas losses in Karachi over the last three months have remained in the single digits.
You: Is the current gas supply-demand gap in Sindh, particularly in Karachi, really that large?
SAS: Yes, the shortage exists and is being managed through optimum gas pressure profiling and, if required, a one-day closure for industry.
You: What challenges is SSGC facing in meeting gas demand in Sindh?
SAS: With the current supplies, SSGC is managing the load. Besides domestic consumers, the power and fertiliser sectors are being given priority, particularly when there is little or no RLNG available. With domestic consumers being provided gas for three meals a day, power and fertiliser requirements are being managed appropriately to avert loadshedding and food shortages.
Erum Noor Muzaffar is the editor of You! magazine. She can be reached at [email protected]
