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Qatar LNG Deal pakistan

Qatar isolation: Pakistan clears the air on LNG import from Qatar, says commercial deal to continue

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has assured Qatar that its commercial deal of importing LNG from the Gulf emirate remains ‘unaffected’.

“Pakistan will continue to import the fuel from Qatar gas to meet its energy requirement, as it seeks to end load-shedding in the country,” Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said.

The statement comes following the development that saw a number of Arab countries including Saudi Arabia severing diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

The minister said that Pakistan will continue to import LNG as it was a commercial contract.

“It is a commercial contract. Pakistan would continue to import LNG from Qatar,” Abbasi said.

“There are no sanctions on Qatar as far as we know … there is no possibility of cancellation or delay in the import of LNG from Qatar to Pakistan,” he added.

The agreement, signed in February 2016, will enable Pakistan to import at least 35 million tons of LNG in 15 years at the rate of 13.35% of Brent crude oil.

M M Alam

M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career four decades ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.