Energy Crisis, Pakistan Navy Starts Controlling Domestic Oil Supply Vessels

JAKARTA - The Pakistani navy (AL) has launched a tanker escort operation to ensure that the country's energy supply is met.

Citing The Times of Israel, Tuesday, March 10, this operation is said to "negate a multidimensional threat" to Pakistan's maritime shipping and trade.

According to the Pakistani military, its naval vessels escort merchant vessels for domestic needs "to ensure the smooth supply of national energy and the security of maritime communication lines."

On the one hand, Pakistan has been hit by a massive US-Israeli attack on Iran that has plunged its national energy supply so that domestic savings are made.

Pakistan, which borders Iran in the southwest, relies on oil and gas from the Gulf or the Middle East.

On Friday, March 6, the Pakistani government was forced to raise the price of fuel sold at gas stations by around 20 percent. Before it was implemented, the announcement triggered long queues at gas stations across the country.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif yesterday also announced a series of measures to narrow the use of domestic energy sources by closing government offices for one day a week and ordering 50 percent of staff to work from home.

The impact of the US-Israeli attack on Iran also affected the education sector after the government saved fuel by closing learning activities in schools across Pakistan for two weeks.

The Pakistani military said in the operation that the navy was fully "ready to respond to emerging maritime security challenges," without giving further details.