LAHORE: The federal government has reimposed a ban on new gas connections for domestic and commercial users, just six months after lifting a four-year moratorium in October 2025.
The petroleum ministry decided to halt new connections due to the high cost of RLNG-based supplies, it is lrarnt. The ban applies to both household and commercial applicants. The government had resumed new gas connections in late October, 2025, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announcing RLNG connections to address public demand after a ban since 2021.
At the launch in Islamabad, the prime minister said the move fulfilled a long-standing demand and that infrastructure had been laid to supply RLNG nationwide. However, new connections issued since October were based on expensive imported RLNG, with gas bills four times higher than earlier natural gas connections. The Demand Note fee was raised from Rs6,500 to Rs23,500. Consumers were also charged an additional Rs25,000 for priority connections, taking the total upfront cost for a new RLNG connection to around Rs50,000. The federal government had decided that all new connections would be RLNG-based, as indigenous natural gas reserves continue to deplete. RLNG tariffs are linked to international crude oil prices, making the cost significantly higher than subsidized domestic gas.
The 2021 ban was imposed due to rapidly depleting natural gas reserves, forcing households to shift to costlier LPG. It was lifted in October 2025 after the government arranged RLNG supply and expanded infrastructure. Gas utilities already stopped processing new connections although the petroleum ministry has not issued a formal notification yet. However, it is learnt that decision has been taken in this connection and will apply immediately to all new domestic and commercial connection requests.
