The objective of PTI’s Housing Policy:

PTI understands that, the most important fundamental right of the people, enshrined also in the Constitution, is to have decent living, which cannot be done by any individual without appropriate interference from the State.

Apart from improving the living conditions of the people, both in urban and rural areas of Pakistan, housing works as the important driving force behind economic development, as the housing sector activates between 100 to 200 upstream and downstream industries in the modern world, besides creating a huge demand for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled jobs.

Presently, Pakistan’s economic condition is highly precarious, with the huge international trade deficit, unbearable external-internal debt burden, low agricultural production, lesser export volume, and almost absence of job opportunities in a country that sports the second highest number of the younger population in the world.

PTI believes that, if there is any one sector that can address all these issues at once, it is only the housing sector consisting of finance, construction, and its related construction material industries.

PTI firmly believes that its drive for housing, through its Policy, would not only revolutionize the country’s economy, but also bring marked improvement in the banking sector, and would create an environment through a public-private partnership, where ease of doing business will be exemplary, and cost of doing business will be minimum, which will work as a catalyst for bringing direct foreign investments (FDI) in the country.

Housing scenario in Pakistan :

Housing sector has largely been neglected by various Governments in Pakistan. If at all it got any attention from the Political Leadership, it never moved beyond mere political rhetoric and slogans. Housing issues in Pakistan made their vocal appearance in the slogan of “Roti, Kapra aur Makan, by Z.A. Bhutto, in Mr. Muhammad Khan Junejo’s “Shelter for Shelterless”, then in the announcement of 10 lacs (One Million Housing) Housing Units/year (total 50 lacs in 5 years) units) by Mr. Yousuf Raza Gilani and then in the announcement of 05 lacs units/year by Mr. Nawaz Sharif. Unfortunately, no one moved beyond political sloganeering, and the delivery was nearly nil. Even if some planning and policy work was done at the “drawing table”, it did not move to any execution level by anyone. It is sad to see that, two-thirds of the country’s population lives in rural areas, largely living in “Katcha or mud-housing, and another 40% lives in peri-urban and urban areas. The previous plans for housing did not address rural and peri-urban issues. The fact remains that a large segment of urban people, more so in major metropolitan cities like Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Faisalabad, are living in slums or Katchi-Abadies, and other low-income people are living in indecent housing. Pakistan is currently facing an overall housing backlog of around 11-12 million housing units. Literature also gives the number of 32 million households without any shelter or with very poor housing. The urban housing shortage is estimated to be around 4 million, while the rural and peri-urban housing backlog is around 7-8 million. Year-on-year housing need of Pakistan: Based on the Country’s population, as per a recent census, of over 200 million, with a population growth rate of 2.0% and household size of 6.5 persons per household, the year-on-year incremental needs is 6 lacs units/year, which includes both urban and rural areas. Pakistan needs to build at least 10 lacs housing units/year just to meet the existing needs plus the incremental housing needs.

PTI’s Agenda on Housing:

Presently the dire need of the country is 10 lacs housing units in a year, or 50 lacs units in five years. Therefore PTI’s agenda is to develop the required number of housing in urban and rural areas. This is its cherished goal.

PTI’s housing policy would aim at meeting the target of 10 lacs housing units per year as follows:
> 4 lacs/year in the Rural Areas,
> 2 lacs/year in Peri-Urban areas under Social Housing Schemes, and
> 4 lacs/year housing units in the Urban Areas.
Knowing the resolute nature of the Chairman of PTI, Mr. Imran Khan to deliver on impossibilities, his determined resolve to achieve the target as much as possible, and his history of achievements in the face of all oddities (World CUP, Shaukat Khanum Hospital, Namal University and on and on), PTI surely would not leave any stone unturned to achieve this housing target. May Allah bless this sacred mission, Ameen.