Pakistan to Dismantle State-Controlled Gas Sector, Open to Private Competition
The Pakistani government is set to break up the state-run structure of its natural gas sector. A World Bank-backed roadmap calls for splitting Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited into separate transmission, distribution, and energy businesses.
Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik chaired a high-level meeting with World Bank Country Director Bolormaa Amgaabazar to review the plan. The roadmap aims to open the market to private competition for the first time, ending decades of vertically integrated state control over gas supply.
The reform package includes a Gas Market Evolution Plan, an investment roadmap, a sector financial model, and legal and regulatory analyses. It also involves a capacity-building programme for the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).