ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed his government’scommitment to provide housing to people at affordable rates.

He was addressing a ceremony after laying the foundation stone of NayaPakistan Housing Program at a site near Islamabad this afternoon.

The Prime Minister said the housing units will be built on public-privatepartnership basis wherein the government will provide land and the privatesector will construct housing units.

Imran Khan said 18,500 housing units will be built on this site, of which10,000 will be allocated to people with lower income background. He saidballoting will be held to choose the eligible people keeping in view thelarge number of applicants. The project is expected to be completed in oneand half years’ time.

The Prime Minister said the number of people availing credit from banks forconstructing their houses is very limited as mortgage practice is not verycommon in Pakistan’s banking system. He said the government is working on aforeclosure law to promote the culture of housing mortgage as is thepractice in many countries of the world.

Imran Khan said the Naya Pakistan Housing Program will enable governmentservants and other people to get house at affordable installments.

The Prime Minister also vowed to provide housing facility to poor peopleliving in shanty areas and slums of the country. He said two slums areas inIslamabad have been identified to start the project. Imran Khan said thehousing project will be expanded across Pakistan in phases.