Pakistan massive oil reserves:
Lahore/Karachi— The phrase “Pakistan massive oil reserves” may evoke images of wells gushing beneath the Arabian Sea, but beneath the headlines lies a tangled interplay of hope, politics, and cautious realism.
Last September, a senior security official told that a three-year geological survey—conducted in collaboration with an undisclosed “friendly country”—unearthed “substantial petroleum and natural gas deposits” in Pakistan’s offshore waters, potentially ranking among the world’s fourth-largest reservoirs. Departments have now been briefed, and authorities are preparing to invite bids for exploration.
Yet even as optimism soars, pragmatism remains the guiding note. A former OGRA official, Muhammad Arif, cautioned that until actual drilling and resource recovery begin, all hopes remain speculative. Initial exploration alone could bite into budgets by $5 billion, with full extraction potentially five years away.
Geo News sources backed the sentiment, with the Petroleum Division warning that it is “too early to claim” that massive reserves have been confirmed. Data is under study, with bidding likely to begin by early next year.
On the domestic front, there has been tangible progress. Reports from Arif Habib Ltd. reveal that Pakistan’s onshore oil reserves rose 23–26% year-on-year, climbing from approximately 193 million barrels in December 2023 to between 238 and 243 million barrels by mid-2024, driven by new discoveries across fields like Pasakhi, Rajian, Kunar, Jhandial, and Shewa. Gas reserves also saw a modest uptick, reversing years of depletion.
But the numbers still paint a modest picture. In global ranking, Pakistan’s conventional oil reserves—estimated by the U.S. EIA at 353 million barrels (2016 data)—place the country far behind giants like India (4.9 billion barrels) and Venezuela.
Adding further scrutiny to the hype, Geo Fact Check emphasized that no credible evidence currently supports claims that Pakistan now possesses Asia’s largest oil and gas reserves. Delivering such announcements prematurely, without industry-standard exploration and testing, misleads public expectation.
Beyond geology, political context intensifies scrutiny. A recent article accused U.S. President Trump’s bold claims—hinting that Pakistan might one day sell oil to India—of serving a strategic agenda, rather than mirroring Pakistan’s realistic potential.
READ MORE: OGDCL Announces Oil Discovery in Sindh as Pakistan-US Ink Energy Deal
What all this means
While headlines invoking Pakistan massive oil reserves capture attention, the reality remains anchored in uncertainty. Onshore reserves are growing modestly, offshore prospects are speculative, and geopolitics often write headlines ahead of facts.
For real transformation, Pakistan will need substantial capital, rigorous geological validation, transparent governance, and long-term planning—especially in politically sensitive or insecure regions.
