Minister heaps praise on CM for getting UN Award

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari has said that Maryam Nawaz did not receive an award for “cattle and calves”; Pakistan should take pride in receiving a global honour. The United Nations has also recognised Punjab’s housing initiative, and no one had received this award before, she said. She said another May 9 would not be tolerated under any circumstances. Those who have been staging sit-ins for 14 years would no longer receive any “Faiz. ” The ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ is the flagship initiative of the Chief Minister of Punjab, with a target of constructing one million homes in five years. As many as 230, 000 people have received the benefit of a roof over their heads, while interest-free loans are being provided to empower ordinary citizens. She said those political stuntmen who have been in government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for 13 years should first build homes for the people of their own province. She said Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif had worked day and night on public welfare initiatives and the ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ programme was a practical manifestation of that commitment. The Chief Minister had set a target of constructing one million homes in five years and, God willing, the initiative would continue to move forward at the same pace. She expressed these views while addressing an important press conference along with Provincial Minister for Housing Bilal Yasin at the DGPR. Azma Bokhari said the ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ was Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s flagship initiative under which interest-free loans were being provided to deserving families for construction of their own homes. The programme was launched in August 2024 and millions of families had benefited from it within a short period. She said the success of Punjab’s initiative to provide homes to the people had been recognised globally. The ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ programme was selected for the United Nations-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award, which Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif received in Muscat, Oman, on October 5. Azma Bokhari said the Punjab government’s provision of interest-free loans to ordinary citizens for construction of homes was a unique programme of its kind in Pakistan. She said the initiative was providing deserving families not only with financial assistance but also an opportunity to own a home and live with dignity. According to the latest officially available figures, loans amounting to around Rs260 billion had been provided for the construction of more than 200, 000 homes, while more than 100, 000 families had already moved into their homes. The Information Minister said those criticising Punjab’s public welfare initiatives should also undertake practical work for the people in their own provinces. She said those who had been in government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for 13 years should build homes for the people there and provide them with practical relief. Azma Bokhari said that when a target of five hundred thousand homes had been announced in the past, it was dismissed as a political slogan, while claims of building one crore homes and other major promises also failed to materialise. She said that today, hundreds of thousands of homes were being constructed in Punjab and people were being provided interest-free loans. She said the Chief Minister of Punjab had also briefed the Omani Minister for Housing during her meeting with him about the features of the ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ programme and the mechanism for interest-free loans. Deserving families have to repay these loans over a period of nine years. Azma Bokhari said the responsibility of a journalist was to present the complete news to the public. Turning someone into a target of ridicule or ignoring facts could not be considered journalism. She said she was accountable for every action and statement of hers and that conducting a personal campaign against anyone was not her way. She said PTI leaders had remained silent about the programme for two and a half years and were now talking about meetings and demands. If their intentions were sincere, practical measures for public reforms and public service should be presented. The Information Minister said Pakistan and Punjab should be proud of the global honour received by them, rising above political differences. She said the Chief Minister of Punjab had been specially invited to represent Pakistan and Punjab before the world, and had received significant appreciation at the award ceremony. Azma Bokhari said she was deeply saddened by the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She said the people needed development, employment, peace and basic facilities—not politics of protest and confrontation. Referring to incidents like May 9, she said such incidents would not be tolerated again under any circumstances. Mistreatment of state institutions and violence against police personnel could not be allowed to become normal. The state would have to take a decision in this regard, and such a decision should be in the best interest of the country. Provincial Minister for Housing Bilal Yasin said that under the ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ programme, funds had been provided to 220, 000 families, while 122, 000 families had started living in their own homes. He said Rs278 billion had so far been distributed among ordinary citizens in the form of interest-free loans. He said this was a programme of its kind in the history of Pakistan under which ordinary citizens were being provided direct financial assistance for the construction of their homes. Bilal Yasin said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s initiative was among the fastest-expanding housing programmes in the world. The success of the programme could be gauged from the fact that hundreds of thousands of families were benefiting from it, while a large number of people had already moved into their newly constructed homes. He said the United Nations honour received by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was not merely an honour for her but an honour for Punjab and Pakistan. He said the award had been received not for sit-ins or political slogans but for practical work carried out for the people. Bilal Yasin said that not a single house was completed under the ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’-type initiative during the PTI tenure, whereas the present Punjab government had practically started the process of enabling ordinary citizens to become homeowners through interest-free loans. He said if anyone wanted to stage a protest, targeting public welfare projects of Punjab was not an appropriate way to do so. Public problems could only be resolved through practical work, sound policy and public service. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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