Minister of State for Petroleum Division Ali Pervaiz Malik on Wednesday informed the National Assembly that Pakistan was set to accelerate oil and gas exploration both onshore and offshore, while also tapping unconventional reserves, as part of a government-led push to strengthen energy security and attract foreign investment.
Responding to a calling attention notice raised by Dr. Nafisa Shah and others regarding recent remarks by former US President Donald Trump about massive oil reserves in Pakistan, he said the country possessed significant untapped potential, including conventional onshore and offshore fields as well as unconventional sources such as tight gas, shale gas and shale oil.
He said that under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership, the government had successfully concluded an onshore bidding round in April, awarding 13 exploration blocks, including two to Turkish Petroleum for the first time.
Another onshore round for 23 blocks was under way, with awards expected in October, while offshore bidding covering around 40 blocks, including in the Indus and Gwadar belt, was also progressing.
The minister said developing a single onshore exploration well required around $20–25 million in investment, while offshore wells could cost over $120 million. International interest had been received from Turkish, Chinese, Kuwaiti and American companies.
On unconventional resources, he cited studies estimating Pakistan’s tight gas potential at 30–35 trillion cubic feet, roughly equivalent to three Sui gas fields, and noted that the policy for tight gas had been updated in 2024.
He said a USAID-supported 2015 assessment had found shale oil and gas resources in the Lower Indus Basin many times greater than Pakistan’s cumulative extraction over the past 70 years.
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