Karachi: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has said that citizens who do not own a house in their name are eligible to apply for subsidised housing finance under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme.
Speaking at a workshop on the scheme, SBP Executive Director Islamic Finance Group Ghulam Muhammad Abbasi said applicants from all professions, including journalists, lawyers, judges, policymakers and military personnel, could apply. Overseas Pakistanis are also eligible.
He said applicants could apply with up to three other people to meet repayment requirements, while older applicants could partner with employed and earning family members. Both salaried individuals with documented income and those without formal payslips can apply.
According to Abbasi, banks have received 107,000 applications since March 2025, with nearly 80% submitted after the scheme was revised in September 2025. The revision increased the maximum loan amount to PKR 10 million and set the subsidised interest rate at 5% for the first 10 years.
More than 27,000 applications have been approved, while 13,000 have been rejected. As of June 30, 2026, banks had disbursed more than 6,000 loans worth PKR 26 billion, with an average loan size of PKR 4.8 million.
The government has set a target of disbursing 150,000 housing loans during FY27 and allocated PKR 71 billion to subsidise the loans.
Abbasi said there was no processing fee for loans under the scheme. He added that banks would charge market-based interest rates during the final 10 years if a loan was taken for the maximum 20-year repayment period.
He said the scheme aims to expand access to home ownership, particularly for low-income groups, and help address Pakistan’s housing shortage.
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