Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) will soon begin offshore drilling in Pakistan's territorial waters, Pakistani Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik confirmed Sunday, with three offshore and two onshore exploration fields set to launch in 2026.

Malik told a press conference in Lahore the drilling operations would open the door to significant foreign investment in Pakistan's energy sector. The timeline anchors a program that TPAO and Pakistani partners firmed up in December 2025 signing ceremonies in Islamabad.

What has actually been sanctioned?

The program covers five licences. TPAO signed three offshore and two onshore hydrocarbon research and exploration agreements in Islamabad in December 2025 with Mari Energies, Fatima Group, OGDCL, PPL, Prime and GHPL, according to a Turkish government statement.

Türkiye's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar laid out the work program:

• TPAO will acquire licences through partnerships on all five fields.
• It will act as operator on one of them.
• Seismic research vessels are scheduled to arrive in Pakistan next year.
• Some blocks will see seismic acquisition; others will go straight to drilling.

"Our target is to start work on these fields next year, some at seismic research stage and others direct drilling work," Bayraktar told state-owned Anadolu Agency after the December ceremony. "Our goal is to begin operations in these fields in 2026, conducting seismic studies in some areas and direct drilling activities in others."

He added: "Hopefully, these activities will yield results and mark an important step that produces concrete outcomes for Türkiye-Pakistan cooperation."

No well locations, water depths or rig assignments for the Pakistani offshore campaign appear in the announcements. Those details remain the missing operational data.

TPAO has built deepwater capability in the Black Sea and Mediterranean, and the new ultra-deepwater drilling vessel Yildirim passed through the Bosphorus in Istanbul in January. The Pakistani announcements do not specify which assets the campaign will draw on.

Why Pakistan is courting foreign drillers

The economics driving Islamabad's push are stark. Malik said Pakistan imports around 90% of its energy requirements. Domestic oil production runs at roughly 70,000 bpd against daily demand near 500,000 bpd.

That 430,000-bpd supply gap frames the government's urgency. Malik stressed the need to accelerate indigenous oil and gas exploration to cut import dependence, and said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir have tasked a leading international company with preparing a comprehensive energy-sector roadmap for national leadership in the coming months.

Pakistan has already attracted Turkish capital to its offshore. TPAO has previously taken a 25% stake in an offshore exploration field in Pakistan valued at $1 billion, according to prior reporting.

What else is moving in Pakistan's petroleum portfolio?

Malik touched on the wider fiscal and market picture at the Lahore briefing:

• He said the flow of circular debt has been halted, with efforts underway to clear liabilities inherited from previous administrations.
• LPG tenders would open Monday.
• The government has arranged new gas connections for consumers.

On prices, Malik attributed the pressure to the Iran-U.S. conflict, which he said has created significant challenges for global energy markets and driven unprecedented increases in crude oil and petroleum product prices. He said the government has kept fuel supplies uninterrupted and shielded consumers from the full impact of rising international prices — price commentary the minister framed as external pressure rather than domestic policy outcome.

Is mining part of the deal?

Yes, and Bayraktar framed it as a parallel track. Significant decisions on mining cooperation have been taken, he said, citing Pakistan's mineral resources.

"Just as we have carried out activities in Africa and Central Asia, we will undertake projects here in the mining sector as well, primarily through our state-owned companies and new partnerships," he said.

"Our national mining companies, MTAIC and Eti Maden, will swiftly take a more active role in Pakistan, and we will expand our operations in the field of mining."

Bayraktar recalled President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's target of lifting Türkiye-Pakistan trade to $5 billion, noting both countries are major energy importers exploring joint procurement. "These steps will help us reach, and possibly surpass, the $5 billion target," he said.

What to watch next

The milestones that will turn announcements into barrels: arrival of TPAO's seismic vessels in Pakistani waters, the award of the five licences through partnerships, and spud dates for the blocks flagged for direct drilling. The energy-sector roadmap commissioned by Sharif and Munir is due before national leadership in the coming months. Watch whether the 2026 work program holds schedule.