Qatar has asked Pakistan to submit a formal proposal on whether it intends to defer some of its contracted LNG cargoes beyond 2030 or allow Doha to resell part of the supply in the international market under the Net Proceeds Differential (NPD) clause.
The request comes amid Pakistan’s worsening gas crisis, which has been aggravated by a sharp decline in domestic demand. Since February 2025, Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) has been diverting one cargo per month, sourced from Italian firm ENI, to the global spot market due to reduced consumption, and these diversions will continue until December 2025.
According to a report in The New, Qatar would present a counter-proposal once Pakistan submits its written plan, with a final decision to follow upon mutual agreement.
Previously, Pakistan had sought to postpone 177 LNG cargoes worth $5.6 billion beyond 2030, but the plan mistakenly included ENI’s supplies, which fall outside Qatar’s agreements.
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Under a revised arrangement, Pakistan now aims to utilize 80 out of 108 annual cargoes from Qatar, leaving 28 surplus each year, equivalent to 140 cargoes over the next five years. At current market rates, each LNG cargo carries a value of around Rs. 9 billion.
