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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally launched the process to supply Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) connections for domestic consumers across Pakistan on Sunday, saying Islamabad had fulfilled a years-long demand of the people by doing so.

Pakistan’s government banned new gas connections in 2021, citing rapidly depleting gas reserves in the country. This forced users to switch from piped gas to other alternative sources of fuel for cooking and heating purposes, such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas, (LPG), which is more expensive.

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik announced in September that the government had decided to issue new gas connections at the “strong insistence” of the masses.

“Today, that day has finally arrived, Alhamdulillah, that we are now issuing gas, which is very high-quality fuel, for household consumers across Pakistan,” Sharif said at a ceremony held to mark the event in Islamabad.

“There are hundreds of thousands of applications already, so I believe this is a day of great joy.”

Malik had said last month that the government was mindful of the fact that RLNG, which is imported gas, is more expensive than local gas. However, the petroleum minister said it was still 30-35 percent cheaper than LPG.

The development takes place after the Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), one of the country’s leading oil and gas exploration and production companies, announced it had discovered “significant” oil and gas reserves in the eastern Attock district last month.

Earlier in February, Mari Energies, a Pakistani hydrocarbon exploration firm, discovered new oil and gas reserves in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, with initial tests suggesting a flow of 12.96 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas and around 20 barrel per day (bbl/d) of condensate.

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan-based co-working startup announced this week it is expanding into ����ֱ�� with the launch of its flagship site in Riyadh, vowing to bring technology, art and culture to workplaces across the Kingdom as well.

COLABS provides small and medium enterprises, entrepreneurs and freelancers with spaces and a tech platform to build and grow their businesses in the country.

The entity says it operates across more than 10 locations in Pakistan and supports a thriving ecosystem of 5,000 plus members from 300 companies, which include Ernst and Young, Coke and Digital Ocean. The company says it has over 250 partners, including major players like such as Spotify and Google.

“COLABS is expanding to ����ֱ�� with the launch of our flagship site in Riyadh,” the startup said in a message to media on Saturday. “It’s an exciting time for us as our expansion is in partnership with leading entities like Waseel Investment and Shorooq.”

The entity said its move to enter the Saudi market not only underscores investor confidence in COLABS, but is in alignment with Vision 2030 and aims to strengthen business and creative ties between ����ֱ�� and Pakistan.

“With a new funding round bringing our total raised to over $5m, COLABS is set to expand into the KSA market, replicating its success by promoting a culture of innovation, networking, and community building in ����ֱ��,” it said.