Pakistan plans to auction 43 more oil and gas exploration blocks in June, an official at the Ministry Petroleum and Natural Resources said Wednesday, as the South Asian country tries to expand oil production to meet rising energy demand.

The auction will includes five offshore blocks, the official said over the phone from Islamabad on condition he won't be named. The remaining blocks are in the South Asian country's four provinces, he added.

Pakistan had in December allocated 41 blocks to 11 companies. Initial seismic work at those sites is expected to start within months, he said.

The winning bidders in the last round include Pakistan Petroleum Ltd. (PPL.KA), the country's largest gas producer, U.K.'s BP PLC (BP) and Eni S.p.A (E) of Italy.

-By Haris Zamir, contributing to Dow Jones Newswires; +91 22 6145 6100; djn.in@dowjones.com