Qatar Pays Call on Pakistan

Qatar Petroleum is looking to enhance co-operation with Pakistan, especially in LNG, it said September 29, although it might want to discuss an existing LNG contract too.

Qatar Petroleum CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi held talks in Islamabad with Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan that day and said Qatar Petroleum has keen interest in enhancing its investment in Pakistan, building on the existing solid relations between both sides. Qatar and Pakistan signed a 20-year LNG deal in 2016 under which Qatargas will supply 1.3mn mt/yr of LNG to Pakistan, with provisions allowing the volume to increase to 2.3mn mt/yr.

Al-Kaabi’s visit to Pakistan comes at a time when the 2016 LNG deal is under intense scrutiny. The newly sworn-in Pakistani government has made it clear that it may look to renegotiate the deal if it finds any evidence of irregularity, according to local media reports.

Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum is also looking into the deal and in June sought full details from the petroleum ministry, as it wants to know why the previous government only signed up with Qatar when other LNG producers were also available. 

Pakistan started importing LNG in March 2015 with commissioning of FSRU Exquisite, located at Port Qasim near Karachi. Pakistan commissioned its second FSRU late last year.