LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said on Tuesday that the efforts of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif were “starting to bear fruit”, pointing to the province’s flagship “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” housing programme receiving the 2026 UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award.
Speaking at a press conference along with Punjab Housing Minister Bilal Yasin following Maryam Nawaz’s receipt of the award in Muscat, Bukhari said the international recognition had acknowledged the chief minister’s efforts to provide affordable housing to low-income families.
The award was presented to Maryam Nawaz at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat on Monday during the global observance of World Habitat Day.
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) recognised the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency (PHATA) and its “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” programme for their contribution to expanding access to adequate, safe and affordable housing for low-income households.
The UN-Habitat recognition had been formally announced in September, when the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency was informed that its programme had been selected for the 2026 Scroll of Honour.
Bukhari said UN-Habitat dealt specifically with affordable housing and that Maryam Nawaz’s efforts had been recognised through the UN platform.
She said Maryam was the first chief minister to receive the award and that five projects were selected every year for the recognition.
“The chief minister’s project has received the first prize,” Bukhari said, adding that the entire programme was based on merit and transparency.
Maryam Nawaz said after receiving the award that “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” had become an identity of Punjab and Pakistan and a ray of hope for low-income families.
More than 200,000 people have received loans under the programme, she said, reiterating the provincial government’s target of constructing 500,000 houses within five years.
Bukhari said Maryam Nawaz wanted to build one million houses in Punjab over five years, while the government was determined to provide houses to 500,000 families.
She said the provincial government’s housing model was based on providing interest-free loans rather than relying on mortgage and financing arrangements.
Under the current scheme, people owning between one and 10 marlas of land are provided loans in two instalments, allowing them to construct houses according to their own requirements, she said.
Maryam Nawaz has said that safe, dignified and quality housing is a basic right of every citizen and reiterated her government’s commitment to providing a roof to every deserving family.
Yasin said the “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” programme had been described as one of the fastest-expanding programmes of its kind in the world.
He said the awards being received by Maryam Nawaz were based on performance, rather than political affiliation or publicity.
“No house or loan has been given on the basis of political affiliation, nepotism or recommendation,” Yasin said.
He said the recognition demonstrated the performance of the provincial government and its housing programme.
Yasin also criticised the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, saying its housing programme had largely remained at the level of planning and announcements.
He said the previous government had talked about projects involving large-scale housing, but its model was based on mortgages and financing.
Bukhari similarly rejected suggestions that “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” was a project initiated by the previous government.
“This project was certainly not started by the previous government,” she said, adding that the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had also not implemented the programme to date.
She referred to the previous government’s announcements of one crore jobs, 50 lakh houses and the Billion Tree programme, saying these remained a source of embarrassment for its supporters.
Bukhari said the fundamental difference between the previous government’s housing model and Maryam Nawaz’s programme was that the former envisaged mortgage and financing arrangements, while the current scheme provided interest-free loans to people who already owned land.
She said the previous government had also planned to construct large high-rise apartment buildings through public-private partnerships, but those flats were never built.
“In the current model, a person who owns one to 10 marlas of land is given a loan and can construct a house according to their own choice,” she said.
Bukhari said other provinces were also attempting to replicate Punjab’s “Suthra Punjab” initiative, arguing that Maryam Nawaz was establishing her identity through her development projects.
She criticised what she described as a group that was unhappy with positive news about the provincial government.
Yasin said Maryam Nawaz and the Punjab government had not received praise for abusive language, allegations or protest politics, but rather for their performance.
He also criticised the PTI’s political approach, saying the party had spent 14 years shaping public opinion but would no longer receive any benefit from what he described as that approach.
Bukhari stressed that the UN-Habitat award was an international recognition rather than an award from a small non-governmental organisation, underscoring the significance of the recognition for the provincial housing programme.
The UN-Habitat selection followed a competitive process based on established criteria for nominations from around the world.
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