Punjab’s housing initiative brings global honour: Minister Azma

LAHORE, Oct 07 (APP): Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari has said Pakistan should take pride in the global recognition received by Punjab’s “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” housing initiative, stressing that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif did not receive an award for “cattle and calves” but for a public welfare programme.

Addressing a press conference along with Provincial Minister for Housing Bilal Yasin at the DGPR here on Wednesday, she said the United Nations had recognised Punjab’s housing initiative, which she described as a unique achievement. The “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” programme received the 2026 UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award in Muscat on October 5. UN-Habitat officially recognised the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency for expanding access to adequate, safe and affordable housing for low-income households.

Azma Bokhari said the “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” programme was the flagship initiative of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, with a target of constructing one million homes in five years. She said interest-free loans were being provided to deserving families to enable them to build their own houses, adding that the programme had been launched in August 2024.

She said the success of the initiative had received international recognition and that the Chief Minister had been specially invited to represent Pakistan and Punjab at the award ceremony in Muscat. She said Pakistan and Punjab should be proud of the honour, rising above political differences.

According to the minister, the Punjab government’s interest-free housing loans were providing ordinary citizens not only financial assistance but also an opportunity to own homes and live with dignity. She said the Chief Minister had also briefed the Omani Minister for Housing about the programme and its interest-free loan mechanism, under which deserving families were required to repay the loans over nine years.

Azma Bokhari said those criticising Punjab’s welfare initiatives should undertake practical work for people in their own provinces. Referring to the political leadership in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, she said those who had been in government there for 13 years should first build homes for the people of their own province and provide them practical relief.

She said claims made in the past about constructing hundreds of thousands or millions of homes had failed to materialise, whereas hundreds of thousands of homes were now being constructed in Punjab through interest-free financing.

The Information Minister said journalists had a responsibility to present complete facts before the public. Turning someone into a target of ridicule or ignoring facts could not be considered journalism, she added.

She said PTI leaders had remained silent about the housing programme for two and a half years and were now talking about meetings and demands. If their intentions were sincere, she said, they should present practical measures for public reforms and service.

Azma Bokhari said she was deeply saddened by the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding that the people needed development, employment, peace and basic facilities rather than politics of protest and confrontation.

Referring to the May 9 incidents, she said another such episode would not be tolerated under any circumstances. She said mistreatment of state institutions and violence against police personnel could not be allowed to become normal, adding that the state would have to take a decision in the best interest of the country.

Provincial Minister for Housing Bilal Yasin said funds had been provided to 220,000 families under the “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” programme, while 122,000 families had started living in their own homes. He said Rs278 billion had so far been distributed among ordinary citizens through interest-free loans.

Bilal Yasin said the programme was one of its kind in Pakistan’s history, as ordinary citizens were being provided direct financial assistance to construct their homes. He said the UN honour received by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was an honour for Punjab and Pakistan and had been earned through practical work for the people rather than political slogans.

He said no house had been completed under a similar initiative during the PTI tenure, whereas the present Punjab government had practically enabled ordinary citizens to become homeowners through interest-free loans. He added that public problems could only be resolved through practical work, sound policies and public service.