• Officials say new regulator planned for real estate, construction tax reforms underway
• Premier sees rail freight as key to saving fuel

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister She­­hbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged authorities to prioritise making housing finance accessible to ordinary citizens and called for the modernisation of the country’s railway infrastructure to support economic growth.

PM Shehbaz, chairing separate high-level meetings, stressed that housing and railway development were top priorities for his government.

In a meeting at Prime Minister’s House on matters of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Works, Sharif said providing homes for low-income groups, promoting affordable housing projects and improving public facilities were essential.

The ministry presented its strategic roadmap, which included reforms to the construction sector’s tax structure. Officials told the meeting that consultations between the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the provinces were ongoing to standardise taxes for the industry.

“Discussions are also underway on draft reforms concerning housing mortgages,” the meeting was told.

A framework is being prepared to build homes for low-income groups under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), and a Real Estate Regulatory Authority will be established to regulate the housing sector, officials said. Multiple government bodies, including the Ministry of Finance and the FBR, are collaborating on Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

In a separate meeting of the Pak­istan Railways Steering Committee, PM Shehbaz underlined the need to rebuild the country’s railway infrastructure on sustainable foundations. He said a modern railway system is a key component of the national policy to enhance regional trade.

Pakistan Railways serves as the “backbone of the country’s economy and communication network”, the prime minister said.

The prime minister directed au­­t­horities to upgrade freight facilities, noting that rail-based cargo tra­nsp­ort is essential for saving fuel and ensuring the efficient movement of goods.

Officials briefed the meeting that freight services were expected to grow by 21 per cent this year.

The meeting was informed that work on the Karachi-Ro­hri section of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project was underway with support from the Asian Development Bank.

The Thar rail connectivity project is 57pc complete, while the upgradation of the Rohri–Nokundi section of Main Line-3 (ML-3) was described as a crucial initiative for transporting minerals from Balochistan.

Progress on the digitalisation of Pakistan Railways was also revie­w­­ed, including the introduction of mo­­bile applications, cashless ticketing, and free Wi-Fi at stations, as well as freight management systems and rolling stock tracking to improve transparency.

The housing meeting was attended by senior officials, including Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Mi­­nister for Finance and Reve­nue Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Minister for Housing and Works Riaz Pirzada.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2026