‘Whole morning revolves around gas’: Pakistan’s fuel crisis enters kitchens

Karachi, Pakistan – Farhat Qureshi had been cooking most of her life without watching the clock. Now, at 60, her mornings begin with one question: how much can she finish before the gas in her kitchen disappears once again? The cooking gas at her Karachi home comes in short windows in the morning, afternoon and evening. If she misses a window, the cooking is delayed, food is reheated, plans are changed, and the kitchen waits. Recommended Stories list of 4 items end of list “I don’t think I have ever seen this happening in my whole life,” Qureshi told Al Jazeera. “My whole morning revolves around gas.” Pakistan’s energy crisis has intensified since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, turning a recent surplus of liquefied natural gas (LNG) into a looming shortage. Pakistan’s LNG imports had already fallen from 8.2 million tonnes in 2021 to 6.1 million tonnes by late 2025. The US-Israel war on Iran put further pressure on a system already strained by years of declining domestic production. Pakistan meets most of its daily gas needs from domestic gasfields, which have been in slow decline for years. Imported LNG, supplied mainly under long-term contracts, fills part of that gap when shipments flow normally. Almost all of Pakistan’s LNG comes from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and imported LNG powers roughly a quarter of the country’s electricity. With the onset of the war, LNG shipments dropped drastically. …