Pakistan, Sept. 19 -- With traffic through the Strait of Hormuz still badly disrupted, Pakistan has emerged among the countries most vulnerable to interruptions in gas supplies. Qatar and the UAE provide about 99 per cent of Pakistan's LNG, while imported gas now accounts for roughly 30 per cent of total gas supply. That concentration was always going to become a liability once the Gulf turned into a war zone.

The problem is not simply that ships cannot move freely. Pakistan has built an energy system with little room to absorb such shocks. LNG feeds power generation, fertiliser production and industry, while domestic gas output has been falling for years. When one maritime chokepoint is disturbed, the consequences move quickly from the ...