Four-Year Ban on New Sui Gas Connections in Balochistan Leaves Thousands Without Access Amid Harsh Winters

Quetta:It has been **four years** since the imposition of a ban on new **Sui gas connections** in **Balochistan**, leaving **thousands of households and businesses** without access to gas and facing significant daily hardships, especially during the region’s **severe winters**.

According to officials from **Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC)**, the **federal government** imposed the restriction in **2021**, applying it uniformly across the country, including Balochistan. At the time the ban was enacted, more than **2,000 applications** for new connections in the province were already pending. Since then, **thousands more** have applied but continue to wait without resolution.

Public frustration is growing, particularly as the **construction of new houses** has surged across various parts of Balochistan over the past four years. Residents argue that the lack of access to gas for heating and cooking has made life **extremely difficult**, particularly in **Quetta** and other cold regions of the province.

Citizens have called on the federal government to **immediately lift the ban** on gas connections in Balochistan, citing the province’s **harsh climatic conditions** and the **right to equitable access to natural resources**. Many believe that continued deprivation is further **deepening the sense of neglect** felt by the local population.

As winter approaches once again, affected families and businesses are urging policymakers to act swiftly and provide relief by restoring access to basic utilities.