Massive Oil Reserves In Pak? Trump Says Yes, Geologists Ask, “Where?”

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – US President Donald Trump has sparked confusion in Pakistan by claiming the country holds “massive oil reserves” that he intends to exploit through a new trade deal.

The deal, which aims at joint oil extraction between the United States and Pakistan, was announced as part of Trump’s broader alignment with Islamabad amid his ongoing anti-India campaign.

Trump said in July, “Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive oil reserves. We are in the process of choosing the oil company that will lead this partnership. Who knows? Maybe, they’ll be selling oil to India some day!”

Yet Pakistani officials have expressed skepticism. Financial Times reported that an official at a state-owned oil and gas company described Trump’s claims as “completely out of left field,” while a second official told the newspaper, “There is no mysterious, undiscovered oilfield that is going to put out 1 billion barrels”. The country currently imports about 80% of its oil, and its daily production remains roughly one-tenth that of India.

Trump’s optimism appears to hinge on a 2015 US Energy Information Administration estimate suggesting that Pakistan’s Lower Indus Basin may contain more than 9 billion barrels of onshore shale oil, potentially placing the country among the world’s top 10 onshore oil sources. However, the report was based on preliminary seismic data and has not been verified by subsequent exploration, according to Rystad Energy, a consultancy. Financial Times noted that there has been little progress in actual oil and gas exploration in Pakistan since that estimate.

The history of overblown oil claims in Pakistan adds context to the latest announcement. In 2019, the Financial Times noted, former Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that a consortium led by Italy’s Eni and US giant Exxon had struck a well in the Arabian Sea that could allegedly eliminate Pakistan’s fossil fuel import bill for 50 years. Hours later, the companies reported finding only water and abandoned the site.