The federal government of Pakistan has begun the process to dissolve the Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NAPHDA). This affordable housing body was a flagship project started by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
NAPHDA was set up in 2020 through an Act of Parliament. Its main goal was to provide cheap homes to low-income families. The larger Naya Pakistan Housing Programme aimed to build five million houses across the country. It promised to help poor and middle-class people own homes with easy loans and subsidies.
However, the scheme did not meet its targets. Reports show that only about 17,000 to 58,000 housing units were completed or started under the programme. NAPHDA itself built very few units directly. Many projects were taken over from earlier schemes. Problems like high construction costs, land issues, and slow progress led to limited success.
The current government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took the decision after a performance review. The Cabinet Committee on Rightsizing studied the authority. It recommended closing NAPHDA to cut costs and make government institutions smaller and more efficient. The Federal Cabinet approved this on April 9, 2026. A draft law to repeal the NAPHDA Act, 2020, is now ready for Parliament.
This move is part of a bigger plan to reform federal institutions. The government says it will save money and reduce the number of extra offices. Supporters of the original scheme worry that low-income families may lose a key chance for affordable housing. The process of winding up NAPHDA is now underway.
