ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema on Monday informed a parliamentary body that the Prime Minister Imran Khan is going to inaugurate Naya Pakistan Housing Programme on April 17 and 21 in Islamabad and Quetta respectively.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced his government’s flagship project – Naya Pakistan Housing Programme – aimed at constructing 5 million houses for the low-income segments of society during the next five years soon after the formation of his government.
While informing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Housing and Works, the federal minister stated that the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation has invited expression of interests for joint venture as part of said project and in response about 39 proposals have been received from different individuals and firms.
Though, Tariq Bashir Cheema has avoided marking the exact locations selected for the programme but replying to a lawmaker Azhar Qayum Nara, he informed that four sites have been finalised to launch this project in first phase.
“We have forwarded four locations to Prime Minister Imran Khan and now he will decide the place for the inauguration ceremony”, the federal minister stated, saying: “I am unable to state the locations of selected sites at the moment.” Meanwhile, the federal minister has also shared the details of ongoing probe into a matter related to the suspicious deaths of six people of a family at Qasr-e-Naz—a government guesthouse in Karachi. Last month, six family members including five children belonging to Balochistan’s district Pishin were found died in a room of Qasr-e-Naz.
Prime Minister to inaugurate schemes on 17th, 21st
Tariq Bashir Cheema has stated that the deaths were basically an accident but it occurred due to the negligence of our staff members. He informed further that he himself visited Karachi after this sad incident and contacted with the aggrieved family as well.
He confirmed that according to chemical analysis the use of fumigant at the guesthouse is confirmed, which caused the deaths of six innocents. “The room was sprayed by a sweeper to end turmoil and locked the windows and doors”, he said, adding: “On the other side, the family also insisted to take that specific room because they had already used this room in their last visit to the Karachi.”
The family was staying at the guesthouse and the five children and their aunt died due to inhalation of the toxic gas from the chemical. The family had come to Karachi for the treatment of their mother from Pishin and the tragedy befell the same night.
Cheema assured the committee members that government will not spare the culprits at any cost and maintained that the justice will prevail.
The meeting of committee was held at Parliament House in Islamabad under the chair of Muhammad Najeeb Haroon while it was attended by the MNAs Syed Iftikhar Ul Hassan, Azhar Qayyum Nahra, Chaudhary Javed Iqbal Warraich, Syed Agha Rafiullah, Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan, Tahira Aurangzeb, Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak and Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli. The Secretary Housing and Works, Director General FGEHF and other officers were also present in the meeting.