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By Inayah Khattak
ISLAMABAD/KARAK, Jul 16 (APP)::The announcement of new gas production from Karak’s Nashpa field is a welcome development, but it has renewed calls from the district to prioritize access for local communities. Citing Article 158 of the Constitution, residents maintain that access to natural gas is not a favour, but a rightful entitlement that must no longer be overlooked.
In early June 2025, the Pakistan Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDCL) announced a major increase in production at the Nashpa gas field. Producing 7.7 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, this field will now feed into the national grid, powering homes across the country. It’s seen as a step forward in easing Pakistan’s energy crisis and cutting reliance on foreign imports.
Despite being a key contributor to Pakistan’s energy supply, Karak remains one of the least-served areas when it comes to domestic gas access. According to KP government data, fewer than 1% of households in the district use natural gas for cooking.
The irony is hard to ignore. Karak lies within the Kohat Plateau, an area rich in hydrocarbons. In 2020 alone, Karak produced around 8 million barrels of oil and over 65,000 million cubic feet of gas. Yet many of its 815,000 residents still rely on wood or gas cylinders for heating and cooking.
“It’s not fair that a gas-rich district is deprived of its own resource while others benefit,” Malik Hidayatullah, a former leader of the Khattak Ittehad, a social welfare group in the district, said while talking to APP.
“People are growing weary, but the challenges remain. We respectfully urge our political leadership to raise this longstanding issue with the relevant authorities, so that a fair and lasting solution can be achieved.”
Advocacy for gas access in Karak dates back to the early 2000s. The Khattak Ittehad, along with community leaders, launched a campaign for gas infrastructure. This finally led to gas connections for some villages like Latamber, Chokara, and Takht-i-Nasrati, but the majority remains neglected.
Haji Noor Muhammad, who served as the general secretary of the organization at the time, talking to this scribe recalled the local community’s peaceful efforts to have their voices heard. “It took nearly two months of continuous engagement before dialogue resumed,” he shared. Even then, it took several years for connections to be established, and in some areas like Latamber, the gas supply lasted only a short time before being discontinued.
The authorities cited issues like gas theft and unauthorized usage as reasons for the disruption. While such acts are indeed illegal, many argue that they point to a deeper systemic failure: denying legal access to thousands of families has left them with few options.
Constitutionally, the people of Karak have a right to this resource. Article 158 of Pakistan’s Constitution states: “The Province in which a well-head of natural gas is situated shall have precedence over other parts of Pakistan in meeting the requirements from that well-head.” This clause is central to the public’s plea: how can a district that fuels the national grid be left out of the supply?
Shahid Khattak, the current Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from Karak, replying to APP queries on this pressing public demand, attributed delays to centralized policymaking and high infrastructure costs. “Building gas pipelines in wide and hilly areas like Karak is expensive,” he said, citing Warga Banda as an example, where extending gas lines to 400 people could cost up to Rs 100 million.
Still, he confirmed that proposals for new pipelines are underway, and efforts are being made to expand gas access in the region.
Pakistan’s natural gas reserves have been a vital energy source for decades, but these reserves are steadily depleting. To meet growing demand, the country increasingly depends on costly imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Key reserves are concentrated in regions like Karak, Sui in Balochistan, Sindh, and the Potohar Plateau. This makes it all the more urgent to ensure producing areas like Karak receive fair and timely access to their own natural resources.