Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday was informed that 32 federal government-owned abandoned pro
perties worth billions of rupees had been identified in major cities f
or their onward auction to generate revenue and spend that on public welfare.
The prime minister chaired a meeting to discuss progress on the productive utilisat
ion of the federal government’s unused pro
perties, wherein secretary privatisation said the pro
perties had been identified in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi with their estimated value in billions of rupees.
The secretary privatisation told the meeting that out of 32 identified pro
perties, 27 were available and the process for recovery from illegal occupation and complet
ion of ownership documents of the rest was in progress. The prime minister was told that the investors and overseas Pakistanis had shown keen interest in the said pro
perties during an expo held in Dubai during the current month. He said after fulfilling all formalities, the schedule f
or their auction would be finalized and a local and international advertisement campaign would be launc
hed in first week of January.
The prime minister expressed satisfaction on the process and said the utilizat
ion of abandoned pro
perties and the utilizat
ion of the generated revenue for public welfare was vital component of government’s policies. He said the abandoned pro
perties located on key locations in major cities will be utilized for construct
ion of low-cost houses, schools and hospitals besides spending the revenue generated from their auction for provis
ion of better amenities.
The prime minister also instructed the authorities concerned to share the information regarding the abandoned pro
perties with Naya Pakistan Housing Authority so that such land could be utilized for construct
ion of low-cost housing units. He also directed all the ministries to amend their rules to ensure the utilizat
ion of the abandoned pro
perties for public welfare and furnish report to cabinet within a week for early complet
ion of the process. He also instructed the government to accomplish the recovery of the government land from illegal occupation and complete the documentat
ion of their ownership in coordination with the provincial governments.
Naya Pakistan Housing Authority chairman apprised the prime minister about the progress on the construct
ion of low-cost housing units f
or the poor. The prime minister said the provis
ion of low-cost and well-equipped houses to the low-income group, particularly the residents of the slums, is among government’s priorities. He said the construct
ion of high-rise buildings in slums located in different cities would not only resolve the housing problems of the slum dwellers but also enable the government to spend revenue generated from the construct
ion of commercial plazas for building low-cost houses f
or the poor.
Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar, Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Privatization Minister Mohammed Mian Soomro, Special Assi
stants to Prime Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari and Nadeem Afzal Chan, federal secretaries of the ministries concerned and other senior officers attended the meeting.