Category: 1. Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to work with provincial disaster management authorities to develop a coordinated programme aimed at preventing incidents like the recent Swat tragedy.

He made these remarks during a visit to the NDMA’s National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) in Islamabad on Tuesday. He also directed the compilation of comprehensive reports on such incidents, noting that around 49 people have lost their lives, with several others injured, across Pakistan.

Commending the state-of-the-art NEOC facility, Sharif assured that the government would provide all necessary assistance to strengthen the institute and enhance its capacity.

PM Shehbaz revealed that he has tasked Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik with securing grants and investments, rather than loans, through public-private partnerships aimed at building resilient infrastructure in Pakistan.

Addressing water security, he voiced concerns over India’s provocative actions regarding the Indus Water Treaty and announced that the government would construct non-controversial water storage facilities using Pakistan’s own resources.

The PM further highlighted Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change, noting that the country is now increasingly susceptible to cloudbursts, despite contributing little to global greenhouse gas emissions.

He also stressed that the recent devastation caused by sudden glacial melting due to an unprecedented heatwave requires the highest level of preparedness to mitigate future risks.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to work with provincial disaster management authorities to develop a coordinated programme aimed at preventing incidents like the recent Swat tragedy.

He made these remarks during a visit to the NDMA’s National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) in Islamabad on Tuesday. He also directed the compilation of comprehensive reports on such incidents, noting that around 49 people have lost their lives, with several others injured, across Pakistan.

Commending the state-of-the-art NEOC facility, Sharif assured that the government would provide all necessary assistance to strengthen the institute and enhance its capacity.

PM Shehbaz revealed that he has tasked Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik with securing grants and investments, rather than loans, through public-private partnerships aimed at building resilient infrastructure in Pakistan.

Addressing water security, he voiced concerns over India’s provocative actions regarding the Indus Water Treaty and announced that the government would construct non-controversial water storage facilities using Pakistan’s own resources.

The PM further highlighted Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change, noting that the country is now increasingly susceptible to cloudbursts, despite contributing little to global greenhouse gas emissions.

He also stressed that the recent devastation caused by sudden glacial melting due to an unprecedented heatwave requires the highest level of preparedness to mitigate future risks.

KARACHI/SINGAPORE: Pakistan is exploring ways to sell excess liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes amid a gas supply glut that could cost domestic producers $378 million in annual losses, according to a presentation and a government official familiar with the matter.

The country has at least three LNG cargoes in excess that it imported from top supplier Qatar and has no immediate use for, and is currently selling natural gas at steep discounts to local users, a second government official said.

Power generation from gas-fired power plants, which has historically accounted for a lion’s share of LNG use in the country, has declined for three straight years ended 2024, with cheaper solar power use dramatically gaining at the expense of gas-fired generation, data from energy think-tank Ember showed.

That has forced domestic producers of the fuel to curb production.

Pakistan is currently exploring the possibility of transferring LNG cargoes to rented tankers for “offshore storage and onward sale,” state-owned oil and gas producer OGDCL said in a presentation to industry and government.

“Excess LNG in the gas network has resulted in significant production operations impact for local exploration and production companies over last 18 months,” OGDCL said, adding that it had forced curtailment of domestic supply.

The domestic industry could suffer $378 million in losses over the next 12 months at the current rate of curtailment, according to the presentation dated May 29 reviewed by Reuters.

It is not immediately clear if Pakistan’s long-term LNG import contracts with QatarEnergy allows for a resale of cargoes. One of the government officials said the country was still exploring ways to do it.

Qatar typically has a destination clause in long-term supply contracts with buyers that restrict where the cargoes can be sold.

QatarEnergy did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

Pakistan has already deferred five contracted LNG cargoes from Qatar without financial penalty, shifting delivery from 2025 to 2026, as the country grapples with surplus capacity.

Pakistan’s petroleum minister Ali Pervaiz Malik declined to comment on the presentation, but said renegotiating contracts with Qatar was a “complex” process that could take at least a year, and a final decision on initiating it had yet to be made.

“While the existing contract with Qatar allows Pakistan to decline vessels, doing so incurs penalties and other complications,” Malik told Reuters.

The glut has stemmed from several gas-fired power plants, previously operating under must-run contracts, now being sidelined, Malik said.

“It was expected that summer season will create extraordinary demand but the trend indicates the opposite,” OGDCL said in the presentation.

ISLAMABAD:

In a move reflective of deepening political unease, the parliamentary party of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to administer fresh loyalty oaths to its lawmakers, amid concerns of possible defections following a Supreme Court verdict on reserved seats.

According to a report by Express News on Tuesday, the PTI has convened a crucial meeting of its parliamentary party in Islamabad on Wednesday. All members of the national and provincial assemblies affiliated with the party have been directed to attend.

Party insiders said that the primary focus of the meeting will be the evolving political dynamics in light of the apex court’s recent decision, which stripped PTI of its claim to nearly 80 reserved seats in national and provincial legislatures.

Discussions will also centre around the political calculus in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), where shifting alliances could prove pivotal in the coming days.

Read More: PTI loses court battle for reserved seats

Particularly in K-P, where PTI-backed independents hold sway, the party leadership remains wary of overtures by rival political forces. Thirty-five of these independents—previously aligned with PTI—are expected to retake loyalty pledges, reaffirming their commitment to the party.

Sources confirmed that a similar oath-taking exercise had been carried out post-elections, but fresh fears of desertions have prompted renewed action.

The Supreme Court’s short order, issued last week, overturned a July 12, 2024 verdict that had restored PTI’s status as a parliamentary party and granted it access to reserved seats.

The recent ruling has significantly altered the balance of power in the National Assembly, bolstering the position of the ruling coalition, which now stands within reach of a two-thirds majority—an outcome with far-reaching implications for constitutional amendments and governance.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to prepare a coordinated plan in coordination with the provincial disaster management authorities to prevent incidents like the recent Swat tragedy.

Addressing a ceremony during his visit to the National Emergency Operations Centre of the NDMA in Islamabad on Tuesday, Sharif ordered a comprehensive reporting on such incidents. He said at least 49 people have died and several others injured across Pakistan.

Commending the state of the art NEOC facility, he assured the officials he would provide all possible assistance to strengthen the institution and build its capacity.

Sharif said he has already tasked Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Minister for Climate Change Musadik Masood Malik with securing grants and investment through public-private partnerships for building a resilient infrastructure in Pakistan.

On the subject of water security in light of India’s provocative and hostile intentions regarding the Indus Waters Treaty, the prime minister announced the government’s decision to construct non-controversial water storage facilities using Pakistan’s own resources.