CHIEF Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has launched an ambitious housing drive that combines scale with speed, reflecting her commitment to public welfare.
Under Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar and its companion scheme Apni Zamin, Apna Ghar, the government has tied the popular cause of secure housing for the poor with a delivery system designed to be transparent, fast and measurable. Unlike previous efforts that faltered under bureaucracy, her programmes aim to stand out as a new model of execution.
The shift is notable: beyond providing constructed houses, the government is addressing the structural issue of landlessness. More than 50,000 loans have already been disbursed, while free residential plots for the homeless poor have begun with 2,000 plots across 19 towns. Beneficiaries are also eligible for interest-free loans to build homes. Maryam Nawaz frames this as a “mission” close to her heart, vowing no family will be evicted for inability to pay rent.
Since late 2023, Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar has delivered 9,000 houses and supported 45,000 more under construction. Loan disbursements are projected to reach 75,000 by Aug 2025, with targets of 100,000 homes in 18 months and half a million in five years—ultimately benefiting 2.5 million people. Yet demand is staggering: registrations have crossed 1.5 million, with more than seven million applications. The government presents this as proof of both transparency and public trust.
The housing drive is also tied to wider development: Clinics on Wheels for healthcare, water supply upgrades in south Punjab and Pothohar and transforming 24,000 villages into “model settlements” with paved roads, sewerage, schools and hospitals. Framing housing within this broader agenda situates it as part of a comprehensive uplift strategy.
Maryam Nawaz often highlights human stories—labourers who once carried bricks now building their own homes, or families beginning construction within weeks of receiving loans. The programme is pro-poor by design: loans are interest-free, repayable over nine years, capped at Rs15,000 per month. Repayments have already returned over Rs1 billion to the fund, which the chief Minister cites as evidence that beneficiaries value and honour their commitments. Her target of 150,000 homes annually may be ambitious, but with the inclusion of free land under Apni Zamin, Apna Ghar, even the poorest gain a permanent stake in society.
This initiative resonates strongly with Islamic teachings. The Qur’an enjoins believers to care for the needy, as in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:177) and Surah An-Nisa (4:36). Shelter, among the most basic needs, embodies the principle of preserving dignity for the poor. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said: “He is not a believer whose stomach is filled while his neighbour goes hungry.” If hunger undermines faith, homelessness carries even greater moral weight. Classical scholars such as Al-Ghazali and Ibn Khaldun stressed the duty of rulers to meet the needs of the poor, arguing that secure ownership fosters stability and loyalty. In this light, Punjab’s programme is both a welfare measure and a source of political legitimacy.
Asian parallels highlight Punjab’s distinctive approach. India’s Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana built millions of houses but was slowed by financing and land issues. Bangladesh’s Ashrayan Project empowered women through joint ownership, a feature Punjab could adopt. Indonesia’s One Million Houses Programme leaned heavily on developers, often sidelining the poorest, while China focused on affordable rentals near jobs. Punjab’s mix of free land, interest-free loans and transparent verification leans firmly toward equity.
For the poor, home ownership creates more than shelter—it builds assets, breaks cycles of tenancy, improves education and health and provides bases for small businesses. When tied to schools, clinics and water systems, new colonies can become self-sustaining communities. In Islamic moral reasoning, this is ihsan—excellence in serving humanity—elevating governance into an act of worship. Risks remain. Sustaining the scheme requires financial discipline and consistent repayments. Rapid construction risks quality compromises, while poor integration into infrastructure could create under-serviced enclaves. Economically, shocks or defaults may challenge momentum.
Politically, however, the potential rewards are immense. If executed with transparency and quality, Maryam Nawaz will emerge as a leader who delivers. By framing housing as both development policy and Islamic duty, she has infused it with legitimacy beyond party lines. She describes it as a “motherly promise” to the poor, aligning governance with compassion—a message that resonates deeply in Pakistan’s cultural and religious imagination.
If sustained with discipline and integrity, Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar could do more than house the homeless—it could reshape Punjab’s social landscape, redefine the state’s bond with its weakest citizens and fulfill Qur’anic injunctions to uplift the dispossessed. Housing, in this vision, is not charity but duty, not politics but justice. By making it central to her government, CM Maryam Nawaz has laid foundations for a lasting legacy—one that could secure a brighter, more dignified future for Punjab’s people.
—The writer is a Lahore-based public policy analyst.
