Pakistan's government is considering diverting natural gas away from households, the CNG (compressed natural gas) sector, and fertiliser plants to prop up electricity generation, as a shortfall in imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) threatens sharp tariff increases and widespread power cuts this summer. Officials plan to nearly double gas supplies to the power sector — from roughly 85–90 million cubic feet per day to around 160–170 million cubic feet per day by early May — to keep fuel costs manageable. Power Minister Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari framed the dilemma starkly, warning that the choice is effectively between disrupting 7 million gas consumers or 30 million electricity users, with loadshedding of two to three hours daily already under way and expected to worsen as summer peak demand approaches.