A report by the Karachi School of Business and Leadership (KSBL)’s InsightLab research centre has sensitized the policy and decision-makers about the growing shortage of housing in the country, which is assuming dangerous dimensions because of lack of due interest by the successive governments. It points towards a cumulative housing deficit of 10 million units, adding the country needs close to one million housing units per year to help realize the dream of the people to have a house of their own.
Housing is recognized as a fundamental human right, which means that safe, secure, and affordable shelter is essential to human dignity, physical health, and overall well-being. . This principle is universally enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and integrated into international law. In the context of Pakistan, almost all parties and governments pledged to take concrete measures to address the issue of housing shortage but practically this became a hollow slogan of their manifestos as only lip service was paid to the objective. Financial access was one of the major impediments in the way of promoting the housing sector and establishment of Housing Building Finance Corporation (HBFC) was seen as a major initiative for the purpose but with the passage of time it has become almost irrelevant because of funding constraints, rampant corruption and lack of interest. The report rightly points out that the formal housing sector faces land acquisition challenges, complex regulatory approvals, high construction costs, and limited access to financing, resulting in a structural shortage that drives up prices and forces lower-income households into informal settlements or substandard housing. It is all the more regrettable that the present Government imposed unprecedented taxes on the housing sector and as a result the thriving business of house construction has suffered a lot. Private housing societies were playing an important role in complementing efforts of the Government to meet the housing shortage but exorbitant taxes and political victimization are serving as dis-incentives for developers. It is the responsibility of the civic bodies to properly regulate housing societies and take timely measures to prevent frauds but they keep intriguing silence during violations and add to the woes of the dwellers by issuing so-called lists of illegal housing societies. Instead of going for high-handed measures like denial of electricity and gas connections, the Government should facilitate these societies and their dwellers in streamlining provision of necessary facilities.
