Over 10,000 govt employees to get affordable plots in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a private company to provide affordable and quality residential plots to federal government employees.

The signing ceremony was held at the FGEHA headquarters in Sector G-10/4, Islamabad.

Developed under the 2025 FGEHA IV and PPP Rules, the project is designed as a major residential housing initiative on an end-product basis. It aims to ensure the provision of standard and low-cost housing for federal employees.

In the first phase, the scheme will cover over 6,000 kanals of land near Islamabad International Airport and Motorway M-14, proving plots to around 10,000 registered members.

FGEHA Director General Capt (retd) Muhammad Zafar Iqbal said the project marks a significant step towards turning the dream of affordable housing for government employees into reality.

He said that the agreement reflects the authority’s commitment to promoting housing development through the public-private partnership model.

The ceremony was attended by FGEHA officials, representatives of the private firm, media personnel, and officers from various government departments.

The federal government is also considering a new housing finance model based on automobile loan systems to address the chronic shortage of affordable homes and the lack of long-term financing options.

Earlier, Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, chairing a meeting on housing policy, said the absence of long-term mortgage options remains a key challenge for the salaried class.

He highlighted the success of car financing in Pakistan and questioned why similar models have not been implemented for housing.

“A home shouldn’t remain a distant dream,” Iqbal said, stressing the need for a government-backed mortgage scheme with full state guarantees to encourage bank lending.

During the meeting, the planning ministry presented a proposed framework, with Member Infrastructure Waqas Anwar outlining key financial components.

Iqbal confirmed that legal and regulatory reforms would be discussed with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

The minister urged private banks to take a proactive role, assuring them of government support.

“We can develop a practical housing finance system by adapting successful international models,” he said, citing examples from Singapore, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, Bangladesh and India.