LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday met Oman’s Minister of Housing and Urban Planning Dr Khalfan bin Said bin Mubarak Al Shueili in Muscat, who described Punjab’s interest-free housing scheme, Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar, as a better model than Oman’s existing housing loan programme.
The Omani minister warmly welcomed the chief minister and her delegation and congratulated her on Punjab receiving the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour award. He expressed keen interest in the province’s low-cost housing initiative.
The meeting discussed urban planning and development, with the chief minister briefing the Omani delegation on the scheme and responding to their queries. She also outlined details of other initiatives, including Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar, Apni Zameen, Apna Ghar and Apni Chhat, Mehfooz Chhat.
The CM Punjab said more than 200,000 people had been provided loans to build homes under Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar within just 18 months, calling it an “extraordinary achievement”. She said Rs260 billion in interest-free loans had been disbursed under the programme and recovery of instalments had also begun. More than 125,000 families, she added, had already moved into their homes. “Merit and transparency are the hallmarks of Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar. No recommendation is required to obtain an interest-free loan,” she said.
The chief minister said she wanted to build one million houses under the programme but economic constraints remained a challenge. “We will, however, achieve the target of building 500,000 houses for low-income people in five years,” she said.
She said the programme’s recovery rate had exceeded 99 percent, largely because of the affordable monthly instalment of Rs14,000. The Punjab Socio-Economic Registry had enabled the government to compile comprehensive data across the province and determine housing needs on the basis of that data, she added.
“Every house built under Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar has a heart-touching story,” the CM Punjab said.
Dr Khalfan bin Said bin Mubarak Al Shueili said a large Pakistani community in Oman was making valuable contributions to the country. He said Oman was like a second home for Pakistanis as well as for Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
He said Oman had two models for housing finance, including housing grants for people earning less than USD 1,000 and loans through the Oman Housing Bank. However, he said, Punjab’s Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar was a better initiative because its loans were interest-free.
The minister said Oman had separate departments dealing with housing and urban development. He said integrated planning and sustainable strategies were being pursued for the growing real estate industry in Muscat.
He said urban development was being undertaken through economic and environmental planning while keeping in view the needs of different communities and sectors.
Omani Minister said Oman was focusing on smart housing to meet future requirements, adding that Pakistani companies were making valuable contributions to Muscat’s real estate sector.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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