Govt enforces climate, agriculture emergencies

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to enforce climate and agriculture emergencies across the country to address growing climatic challenges and support farmers affected by severe flooding that has badly impacted the agricultural sector.

The federal cabinet, which met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair, took the crucial decision to enforce agriculture and climate emergencies across the country.

“The prime minister at the cabinet meeting today announced in principle approval to impose agriculture and climate emergencies in view of flood situation and heavy monsoon rains,” a statement issued by the PM media office said.

The cabinet also approved the resumption of new gas connections across the country, ending the ban imposed in 2021. The applicants would be provided Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) connections.

The prime minister, while announcing enforcement of the agriculture and climate emergencies, said that flood had caused big damage to rice, maize, sugarcane and cotton crops.

He said that it was a big challenge to cope with the climate change, adding that a roadmap would have to be devised and Pakistan alone could not accomplish the task. The prime minister would soon chair a meeting of chief ministers and authorities concerned to chalk out a future action plan to avoid and reduce further losses due to adverse impacts of climate change.

The federal cabinet was also given a briefing on the current flood situation and damages caused by it and after a detailed discussion, the meeting gave in principle approval to enforce agriculture and climate emergencies.

The cabinet members also floated proposals to mitigate losses and suffering of growers.

The cabinet meeting also strongly condemned uploading of insulting anti-armed forces material on social media and paid rich tributes to officers and soldiers who have been rendering sacrifices day and night for peace in the country.

The prime minister on the occasion directed to take strict action against such elements saying that it was the national responsibility to give strong response to such smear campaign against country’s armed forces. “Pakistani nation can never forget great sacrifices of these Shuhada and their families and we are proud of them,” he said.

The cabinet also offered ‘dua’ for high places in ‘Jannah’ for Shaheed Major Adnan Aslam.

The prime minister also strongly condemned the heinous and illegal act of Israel to carry out bombing on Doha, Qatar, which also caused loss of lives and properties. Extending his sympathies to the emir of Qatar, royal family members and people of Qatar, he expressed solidarity with them.

The meeting while according an approval to start of issuance of RLNG gas connections to applicants, decided that Sui Northern and Sui Southern companies would start the process after government’s decision.

The meeting was informed that the RLNG would cost less than LPG to consumers.

On recommendations of the Ministry of Railways, the federal cabinet accorded approval to a tripartite agreement between Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. The agreement which was signed last month is an important plan for the regional trade.

Addressing the meeting, the prime minister said that assessments were being made over the damages caused to different crops like wheat and cotton, adding that about 1,000 lives had been lost while thousands had been rendered homeless with vast chunks of cultivable land inundated.

He further mentioned that the danger was not yet over as the flood deluge was moving towards Sindh province. He emphasised that the federal and provinces would contribute to compensate the losses.

He said that he had talked to the Qatari emir in the wake of the incident and expressed Pakistan’s solidarity with the brotherly country. The Qatari emir expressed his gratitude for showing complete solidarity.

In Gaza, the prime minister said, the bloodbath continued unabated, claiming lives of children, women, young and the elderly, adding that in the world’s history, there was no precedent of such cruelty and brutality as unleashed by Israel.

About his recent visit to China, Shehbaz said that they had held bilateral meetings with the Chinese leadership. He termed the holding of business conference in China ‘very effective and good one’ and appreciated the cabinet members, SIFC, DPM/FM and officials for making the event successful.

Shehbaz said that MoUs have been signed with American companies on mining and minerals, adding that treasures are hidden in Balochistan, Chitral and Gilgit. He said that Pakistan has to maintain better relations with the United States and improve strategic partnership with China.

He underscored the need of follow ups which, he said, was requisite and made it loud and clear that he would not ‘allow the status quo, any kind of complacency, or inordinate delays,’ which had marked the country’s history in 75 years.

He said Pakistan-China B2B investment conference in Beijing culminated with agreements worth $8.5 billion, marking a significant step toward reshaping bilateral economic cooperation.

The cabinet also offered Fateha for the deceased mothers of Minister Chaudhry Junaid Anwar, Sadiq Sanjrani and others.

Meanwhile, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, while addressing a news conference along with Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, said that the cabinet took several key decisions, including restoring new domestic gas connections, particularly in newly developed housing areas where residents had been forced to rely on LPG cylinders and alternative fuels.

The minister assured that both Sui companies had already completed procurement processes for meters and pipelines, and would immediately begin processing pending applications once the official notification is issued.

He said the existing applicants would also be given the option to convert their requests to RLNG-based connections by paying the prescribed security fee to Ogra.

Highlighting PM’s commitment to easing the energy burden on citizens, the minister said the decision would help reduce household fuel expenses and provide much-needed relief amid inflation.

He explained that although RLNG would remain costlier than domestic natural gas, it would be around 30-35 percent cheaper than LPG, thereby easing household fuel costs.

“We already have a surplus of RLNG and adequate electricity availability, but we are working to strengthen governance and sustainability in the sector,” he added.

He said that one bidding round for domestic gas exploration had already been completed, while another would conclude soon. Malik said efforts were also being made to attract international companies, including those from Türkiye, China and the United States, for both onshore and offshore exploration. “By gradually boosting local production, we aim to reduce reliance on RLNG and provide cheaper, indigenous fuel to the people,” he said.

On the floods, he said the prime minister was personally supervising a comprehensive damage assessment in consultation with provinces. He assured that the federal government would fulfill its responsibility to provide maximum relief to the victims.

According to officials, the price of RLNG stands at Rs3,300 per MMBtu compared to Rs4,800 per MMBtu for LPG—making RLNG around Rs1,500 per MMBtu cheaper. They noted that piped RLNG avoids the risks associated with LPG cylinders, such as leakage and explosions—especially dangerous in households with women and children.

The new connections will not follow the existing domestic gas slab structure, which currently has 12 categories. Instead, new applicants will be offered RLNG at a flat Ogra-approved rate, aligning with global pricing trends for imported energy.

In the initial rollout, around 300,000 new domestic consumers are expected to be connected in the first year, with 600,000 connections planned for the second year. For applicants residing in 10-marla homes, the connection fee will be Rs21,000, while those in larger houses will pay Rs23,000. A security deposit of Rs20,000 will be collected upon contract signing. Consumers who had already paid partial fees under the old system will be required to pay the difference.

One of the main obstacles to extending RLNG to domestic applicants has been the significant tariff gap between cheaper local gas and costly imported RLNG. The Sui companies have been hesitant to act, fearing litigation over discriminatory pricing between old and new consumers.

To counter this, officials are advocating for transparent, contract-based agreements with consumer consent. These contracts will explicitly outline pricing and supply terms to mitigate future legal challenges.

The federal cabinet had previously relaxed the moratorium on RLNG connections in July 2017, but only for industrial, commercial, and new residential developments where infrastructure was consumer-funded. In December 2022, the CCoE reaffirmed the moratorium on indigenous gas connections, limiting approvals to older development schemes from 2013-2018.

Pakistan’s long-term LNG deals currently involve 10 cargoes per month (1,000 mmcfd), initially intended for the power sector. However, with lower electricity demand, take-or-pay obligations have led to an oversupply situation. The government was forced to reduce the minimum offtake under Gas Supply Agreements (GSAs) with power plants from 66pc to 50pc in January 2025.

With 11 surplus LNG cargoes expected between July and December 2025 and another 40 in 2026, authorities are under mounting pressure to divert excess volumes to other sectors—especially households.

According to Ogra’s 2025 Estimated Revenue Requirements, the cost of diverting 24 RLNG cargoes to households has ballooned to Rs242 billion, a burden passed on to consumers through the July 1, 2025 gas tariff hike.