Nationwide LPG Strike From November 16 Announced
LPG associations have announced a nationwide LPG strike from November 16, saying they will stop selling LPG across Pakistan. The associations are protesting against the government’s new pricing formula, which they warn could raise prices by 25 to 30 per cent.
Ali Haider, Senior Vice Chairman of the LPG Marketers Association, said all associations rejected the formula at an emergency meeting. He said LPG sales across the country would stop from November 16 if the authorities did not accept their demands within 15 days.
The announcement turns a warning into a dated plan. Earlier, marketing companies had threatened to shut down from November 16 if the private sector was sidelined in the new LPG policy. The latest statement, made on behalf of all associations, sets a clear deadline and a clear action: no sales nationwide from that date.
Nationwide LPG strike: why the industry objects
The industry’s main objection is price. Haider said the new mechanism would push LPG prices up by 25 to 30 per cent. He also pointed to transport costs, noting that around 90 per cent of the LPG used in Pakistan moves by road in tankers. The formula, he said, would also raise the cost of 30 per cent of locally produced gas.
The Petroleum Division has proposed replacing the current cap based on the Saudi Aramco Contract Price with a benchmark linked to Pakistan State Oil’s landed import cost. A wider set of proposed reforms would also let state-owned companies import LPG and set prices instead of OGRA.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has already formed a ministerial committee to review the proposed LPG policy changes after the industry protested. That committee, covered in Shehbaz Sets Up Body to Review LPG Policy Reforms, is the channel through which the industry now hopes to win changes before the strike date.
What it would mean for households
OGRA has notified the official consumer price of an 11.8 kg cylinder at Rs3,470.09 for November, up by Rs173.86 from October. A 25 to 30 per cent increase on that price would add roughly Rs870 to Rs1,040 per cylinder, taking it to about Rs4,340 to Rs4,510.
Households are already paying far more than the official rate in many cities. LPG was selling above Rs500 per kg in Lahore last week, according to the report, and Feature Pakistan has reported open market prices as high as Rs630 per kg, covered in LPG Price in Pakistan Hits Rs630 per kg.
A nationwide halt in sales could tighten supply further, unless the government and the industry reach an agreement before November 16. The risk is sharpest for homes without a piped gas connection, and for small eateries and tandoors that depend on cylinders every day.
That risk sits inside a wider winter fuel squeeze. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited has extended its ban on new gas connections indefinitely, covered in New Gas Connections Ban Extended Indefinitely. With piped gas restricted and LPG under strain, families have fewer options when winter demand rises.
What happens before November 16
The 15-day window gives both sides time to talk. The industry wants its demands accepted within that period. The government, through its ministerial committee, has a route to review the formula without waiting for a strike to begin.
Frequently asked questions
When does the nationwide LPG strike start?
LPG associations say sales will stop across Pakistan from November 16, if their demands are not accepted within 15 days of the announcement.
Why are LPG associations striking?
They reject the government’s new pricing formula, which they warn could raise LPG prices by 25 to 30 per cent. They also object to proposed reforms that would let state-owned companies import LPG and set prices instead of OGRA.
What would a 25 to 30 per cent rise mean for a cylinder?
On the official November price of Rs3,470.09 for an 11.8 kg cylinder, a rise of that size would add roughly Rs870 to Rs1,040, taking the cylinder to about Rs4,340 to Rs4,510.
Has the government responded to the industry protest?
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a ministerial committee to review the proposed LPG policy changes after the industry protested.
Who would be hit hardest by a sales halt?
Homes without a piped gas connection, and small eateries and tandoors that depend on cylinders every day, would face the sharpest supply risk, especially as winter demand rises.
