(AFP) National oil company Petronas said today it had made its first gas discovery in Pakistan in a joint venture with two local entities.

The oil company said in a statement said gas was discovered on August 7 in the Rehmat-1 well in the Mubarak block in the Sindh province.

Petronas' unit, PETRONAS Carigali (Pakistan) Ltd, is the operator of the Mubarak block with 57 percent equity, Lasmo Oil Pakistan Ltd holds 38 percent and Government Holdings Ltd five percent.

The well, spudded in May, is producing gas at a maximum rate of 25.6 million standard cubic feet daily.

Petronas said more exploration work in terms of seismic data and new wells were needed to determine the gas volume.

Apart from the Mubarak block, PETRONAS Carigali is also the operator of two other oil and gas ventures in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces.