Karachi Division

Karachi | ReNews Pakistan
Commercial banks have approved housing loans worth Rs160 billion under the Prime Minister's Wazir-e-Azam Apna Ghar Programme, with loan disbursements to successful applicants now underway as the government steps up efforts to expand affordable homeownership across Pakistan.
The announcement was made by Adviser to the Finance Minister Adnan Pasha while addressing the First International Insurance Conference in Karachi. He said the programme is designed to address Pakistan's estimated housing shortage of around 10 million housing units by making home financing more accessible to low-income families.
Pasha said eligible borrowers can obtain housing finance at a concessionary markup rate of 5%, significantly reducing the cost of home ownership and enabling families with limited financial resources to build long-term assets.
To encourage greater participation by financial institutions, the Ministry of Finance is underwriting up to 10% of potential loan losses incurred by participating commercial banks. In addition, the government is providing a markup subsidy for up to 10 years, helping keep monthly repayments affordable for beneficiaries.
While highlighting the programme's progress, Pasha acknowledged that it currently lacks a dedicated insurance component to safeguard homeowners against climate-related disasters and other unforeseen events. He invited the insurance industry to develop suitable products for the scheme and assured stakeholders that the government would support such initiatives through an enabling regulatory framework.
During his address, Pasha also outlined other government initiatives aimed at improving financial inclusion and economic development. He announced plans to accelerate the adoption of electric mobility by introducing two million electric motorcycles through subsidies and zero-markup financing. He noted that Pakistan's nearly three million registered motorcycles consume fuel costing the country an estimated $8 billion annually, making electrification an important economic priority despite existing production and supply challenges.
He further highlighted the recently launched Zarqaizi Scheme, a digital agricultural financing initiative being implemented through 21 commercial banks in collaboration with the Pakistan Banks Association and SUPARCO. The programme uses satellite monitoring and real-time data to improve transparency and ensure agricultural loans are utilised for their intended purposes.
Speaking at the conference, Insurance Association of Pakistan Chairman Shoaib Javed Hussain said insurance penetration in Pakistan remains significantly below regional and international levels. He noted that insurance contributes only 0.9% of Pakistan's GDP, compared with around 4% in neighbouring countries and approximately 6% in developed economies.
He called for greater innovation, stronger public-private collaboration, and faster regulatory reforms, particularly in the areas of crop and health insurance, to expand insurance coverage and strengthen financial resilience across the country.

Karachi | ReNews Pakistan
The Sindh government has launched a renewed initiative to resolve long standing issues faced by genuine land allottees, accelerate the disposal of pending land disputes and strengthen action against illegal encroachments across the province.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the Provincial Cabinet's Land Committee chaired by Sindh Minister for Local Government Nasir Hussain Shah. The committee reviewed complaints relating to land allotments, illegal occupations, delayed case settlements and administrative issues involving provincial land development authorities.
During the meeting, the minister directed all relevant departments to prepare a comprehensive and verified list of genuine affected allottees so that their cases can be resolved transparently, fairly and strictly on merit. He stressed that public complaints should be addressed without unnecessary delays and instructed officials to improve coordination to ensure faster relief for citizens.
Nasir Hussain Shah said the provincial government is committed to protecting the legal rights of legitimate land allottees and ensuring that illegally occupied properties are returned to their rightful owners. He announced that the government would seek the support of police and other law enforcement agencies to vacate encroached plots and facilitate their restoration to genuine beneficiaries.
The minister also informed the committee that several plots and government owned lands under the jurisdiction of the Malir Development Authority (MDA), Lyari Development Authority (LDA) and Karachi Development Authority (KDA) have already been recovered from illegal occupants. He added that anti encroachment operations will continue across the province to protect public assets and prevent further illegal occupation of government land.
Emphasising a transparent and accountable approach, Shah advised affected citizens to first approach the relevant development authorities to register their complaints and seek administrative resolution before pursuing other legal avenues. He reaffirmed that the government remains committed to ensuring justice for genuine allottees while safeguarding public property through sustained enforcement and institutional reforms.

Karachi: [ReNews Pakistan]
A comprehensive fire safety audit carried out across Karachi has revealed significant shortcomings in compliance with fire safety regulations, exposing serious risks in hundreds of commercial and residential buildings across the city. The inspection found that less than half of the surveyed buildings substantially complied with mandatory fire safety standards, highlighting the urgent need for stronger enforcement and improved emergency preparedness.
The citywide audit was ordered by the Sindh government following the devastating Gul Plaza fire on M.A. Jinnah Road in January, which raised serious concerns over building safety and emergency response systems. Authorities inspected 783 commercial and residential buildings across Karachi’s seven districts, evaluating compliance with approved building plans, structural safety requirements, emergency exits, firefighting equipment and overall fire risk.
According to the consolidated audit report, 370 buildings, representing approximately 47% of those inspected, were found to be substantially compliant with fire safety regulations. Another 298 buildings were classified as partially compliant, while 115 buildings failed to meet basic safety requirements and were declared non-compliant.
The findings also revealed widespread violations of building regulations. As many as 408 buildings did not possess approved building layouts, while 455 structures had not been constructed according to their sanctioned plans. Inspectors further found that 416 buildings lacked proper emergency exits, significantly increasing evacuation risks during emergencies, and 310 buildings were operating without portable fire extinguishers.
Overall, 239 buildings were identified as high-risk structures due to multiple safety deficiencies.
District Central recorded the highest number of high-risk buildings, with 103 unsafe structures identified, followed by District South, where 65 buildings were classified as high risk. In contrast, Keamari demonstrated the strongest overall compliance with fire safety regulations, while Korangi recorded the highest number of substantially compliant buildings.
Officials noted that unauthorized alterations and deviations from approved building plans frequently block access routes, reduce evacuation capacity and eliminate essential fire safety features such as compartmentalisation, allowing fires to spread more rapidly during emergencies.
The audit has underscored the pressing need for stricter enforcement of building regulations, regular safety inspections and stronger coordination between civic authorities and emergency response agencies to improve public safety and reduce the risk of future fire-related disasters across Karachi.