ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was told on Thursday that the government’s flagship “Apna Ghar” housing finance scheme has disbursed Rs11 billion so far, even as a widening gap between applications, approvals and actual payouts highlight the slow pace of delivery under the programme.
Officials presented the update during a review meeting chaired by the prime minister, where they said tens of thousands of citizens had applied for subsidised housing loans under the initiative aimed at expanding home ownership.
According to figures shared at the meeting, 67,900 applications have been received from across the country. Of these, 16,587 have been approved, while only 3,146 applicants have so far received disbursements.
The imbalance between demand and delivery underscores persistent administrative and financial bottlenecks in rolling out large-scale public lending schemes, particularly those dependent on coordination between federal institutions, commercial banks and provincial land authorities.
Prime Minister Sharif, however, struck an upbeat tone, describing participation in the scheme as “highly encouraging” and saying the momentum reflected strong public demand for affordable housing finance.
He said that if progress continues at the current pace, the scheme could help translate the “dream of home ownership” for a far larger number of citizens, while also supporting broader economic activity.
The PM said the initiative would provide a boost to the construction sector and allied industries, which policymakers frequently identify as key drivers of employment and growth in the country’s slowing economy.
Officials briefed the meeting that applications had increased significantly after the scheme’s eligibility rules were simplified in March this year. While this has improved access, it has also placed additional pressure on processing systems and banking channels.
Sharif directed authorities to further ease the application process and instructed the Ministry of Housing and Works to work with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to simplify application forms.
He also directed commercial banks to speed up approvals for correctly submitted applications, signalling concern over procedural delays.
He further called for an expanded nationwide awareness campaign to improve outreach and ensure eligible households are not excluded due to lack of information.
Provincial governments were directed to set up facilitation desks at district level to expedite land documentation, a frequent bottleneck in housing-related finance schemes.
According to officials, the SBP has mandated that banks process applications within 15 days, although implementation challenges remain in meeting uniform timelines across institutions.
The meeting was also briefed that recently passed condominium and financial institution recovery legislation is expected to ease legal constraints in the housing sector, potentially improving project execution over the medium term.
A digital portal has been launched to monitor progress under the scheme, reflecting efforts to improve transparency and tracking of loan approvals and disbursements.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Riaz Pirzada and Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, the governor SBP, presidents and chief executive officers of commercial banks, provincial chief secretaries and senior officials of relevant institutions.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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