In a shocking assertion, U.S. President Donald Trump not too long ago claimed that the USA and Pakistan have reached an settlement to collectively develop Pakistan’s oil reserves. He went a step additional, saying that at some point, Pakistan may even export oil to India.
The declare has raised many eyebrows — not due to its diplomatic implications, however due to a extra basic query: The place is that this oil that Trump is speaking about?
A Recycled Declare from the Previous
This isn’t the primary time such grand claims have emerged. Again in March 2019, Pakistan’s then-Prime Minister Imran Khan had declared that Asia’s largest offshore oil and gasoline reserve may quickly be found close to the Karachi coast.
The declare created a media frenzy in Pakistan. However inside hours, the nation’s personal Petroleum Division refuted it, saying that intensive offshore drilling had yielded nothing.
Worldwide power giants like ExxonMobil, ENI (Italy), Pakistan Petroleum Restricted (PPL) and Oil & Gasoline Growth Firm Restricted (OGDCL) had dug over 5,500 meters into the seabed — and located no oil, no gasoline. The drilling operation was deserted.
Quick ahead to 2025, and now President Trump is reviving that very same dismissed declare — this time, branding it as a “new oil deal.”
How A lot Oil Does Pakistan Really Have?
Based on official figures from 2016, Pakistan has 353.5 million barrels of confirmed oil reserves — solely 0.021% of the world’s whole. When it comes to world rating, Pakistan stands at 52nd place.
If oil imports have been halted, Pakistan’s home reserves would solely final about two years at present consumption ranges.
In distinction, India holds round 4.9 billion barrels of oil — roughly 0.29% of the worldwide whole — and ranks among the many prime 25 oil-holding nations.
Most of Pakistan’s oil reserves are positioned within the unstable province of Balochistan, which has lengthy suffered from insurgency, instability, and army repression. Industrial extraction in such a area is neither simple nor sustainable.
The Individuals Pay Extra, the Politicians Promote Goals
In July 2024, the worth of petrol in Pakistan rose by Rs. 5.36, bringing the entire to Rs. 272.15 per litre — at the same time as world crude oil costs have been declining.
Naturally, this led to widespread anger and questions:
If Pakistan actually has oil, why is gas so costly for the widespread folks?
The reply is straightforward — as a result of it doesn’t. Not within the amount or high quality wanted to considerably influence power prices or overseas coverage. But, President Trump has offered Pakistan as a future power companion — a political gesture, greater than an financial actuality.
A Nobel Dream in Return?
Let’s not overlook — Pakistan has beforehand tried to push for Donald Trump’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, particularly in the course of the Afghan peace talks.
Trump, in flip, now appears to be returning the favor — portraying Pakistan as an energy-rich ally and hinting at regional affect, even perhaps Indian dependency.
However the fact is stark: Pakistan’s financial system is closely depending on IMF bailouts, Saudi credit score, and Chinese language loans. Now, by packaging outdated myths as new offers, Pakistan continues to promote desires — to its folks, to the U.S., and now to the world.
Conclusion: Oil Politics, Not Petroleum Coverage
Trump’s assertion isn’t just about oil — it’s about optics, affect, and repackaged narratives.
For India, this isn’t a trigger for alarm, however actually a motive for warning. As a result of in in the present day’s geopolitics, oil is not simply gas — it’s a overseas coverage weapon, and Pakistan, as soon as once more, is attempting to shine this phantasm to remain related.