No gas for hearth or home on first day of Ramazan.

KARACHI -- Natural gas disappeared from people's stoves as soon as the Ramazan moon was sightAed, leaving people in Karachi, Quetta and Rawalpindi high and dry on the first day of the holy month.

Although the government had announced that gas would be available to consumers for sehr and iftar, citizens from areas across the country complained of low and no gas pressure throughout the day.

An official announcement from Sui Southern had announced timings for what it called 'gas profiling' during the month of Ramazan.

Although the statement assured consumers they would be provided gas at sehr and iftar time, the company cited a shortfall in its system because of a yearly 8-9pc decline in the country's gas reserves.

'For this purpose, to ensure better gas pressure, gas profiling will continue from 8am to 2:30pm,' SSGC added.

Saba Naveed, a resident of Lyari, told Dawn.com there has been no gas at her house for nearly four months now.

'When you switch on the stove, there is only a stale smell that comes out of it ... there is no gas pressure at all,' the mother of three said, adding that her family has permanently shifted to using gas cylinders.

Saba elaborated that a 2.5kg gas cylinder costs her Rs600, which lasts for nearly two weeks. 'It is not just about the money ... it is a real risk using a gas cylinder with three children - under the age of 10 - around,' she said.

SSGC spokesperson Safdar Khooharo told Dawn that the company had not resorted to load shedding anywhere in the country, but pointed out that certain areas may face low pressure, partly because around 20 million to 20.5 million stoves are turned on at the same time ahead of sehri. 'Thus, old lines of gas may face low pressure,' Mr Khooharo added.

Rawalpindi

The situation was no different in the garrison city, where Ali Abbas, a resident of Dhoke Ratta, said locals had lodged complaints at...