Pakistan has formally launched the National Housing Policy 2025, the country’s first update to its national housing framework in nearly 25 years. Federal Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada unveiled the policy at a ceremony in Islamabad on World Habitat Day, 5 October 2026, alongside UN-Habitat Pakistan, pledging adequate, affordable and sustainable housing for all.
Key facts
- What: National Housing Policy 2025, Pakistan’s new national housing framework with nine thematic areas.
- When: Formally launched on World Habitat Day, 5 October 2026, after approval by the federal cabinet.
- Where: Launch ceremony at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad.
- Who: Unveiled by Federal Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada; Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr. Musadik Masood Malik attended as guest of honour.
- Why now: The last national housing policy dates back to 2001, and Pakistan faces a housing shortage estimated at about 10 million units.
- Vision: “Adequate, affordable and sustainable housing for all”, aligned with this year’s World Habitat Day theme.
Launch ceremony in Islamabad
The formal launch took place at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Islamabad, where Federal Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada presented the policy. Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr. Musadik Masood Malik attended as the guest of honour, and senior government officials, academics and development partners were present.
The policy was prepared by the Ministry of Housing and Works in collaboration with UN-Habitat Pakistan, which provided technical support during its formulation. According to the ministry, the document draws on consultations with federal and provincial institutions, academic experts and international development partners.
First housing policy update in nearly 25 years
Pakistan’s previous national housing policy was announced in 2001, making the 2025 document the first significant revision in about 25 years. The federal cabinet has approved the policy together with its implementation Action Plan, directing the housing ministry to promote vertical high-rise development, improve land zoning and introduce energy-efficiency standards for new housing projects.
The policy responds to a housing deficit estimated at roughly 10 million units, driven by rapid urbanisation, rising land and construction costs, and the growth of informal settlements. Under the 18th Constitutional Amendment, housing is a provincial subject; the national policy sets the guidelines while provincial governments choose region-specific models for implementation.
What the National Housing Policy 2025 promises
The policy is built around nine thematic areas. Its central commitments include:
- Increasing the supply of affordable housing units nationwide, with a push for vertical high-rise development.
- Strengthening security of land tenure for all residents, including those in informal settlements.
- Expanding access to housing finance, microfinancing and rental-housing options for low- and middle-income families.
- Upgrading katchi abadis and informal settlements through urban regeneration programmes.
- Making new developments climate-resilient and energy-efficient, with better insulation, ventilation and disaster preparedness.
- Improving coordination, planning data and capacity among federal, provincial and local institutions.
Apna Ghar housing finance programme
The ministry describes the Wazir-e-Azam Apna Ghar Program — also called the Ghar Ho To Apna scheme — as a flagship component of the policy’s action plan, aimed at helping low- and middle-income families become homeowners. According to the ministry, Rs. 65 billion has been disbursed to first-time homebuyers under the scheme, and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is personally monitoring its implementation.
The programme is intended to widen access to housing finance, which the government identifies as one of the main bottlenecks in the sector, alongside high taxes on property transactions and low mortgage penetration by banks.
World Habitat Day 2026: “Adequate Housing for All”
The launch was deliberately timed to coincide with World Habitat Day 2026, observed worldwide on the first Monday of October — this year 5 October. The United Nations has set “Adequate Housing for All” as this year’s theme, spotlighting a global housing crisis in which an estimated 2.8 billion people face some form of housing inadequacy.
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Conclusion
The National Housing Policy 2025 is the most ambitious attempt in a quarter-century to fix Pakistan’s housing crisis, pairing a national framework with an implementation action plan and a flagship finance scheme for first-time buyers. Its test will be implementation: coordinating provinces, unlocking finance and turning policy targets into homes on the ground.
