Cabinet okays housing policy, cybersecurity framework
AI Summary
Pakistan's federal cabinet approved the National Housing Policy 2026 emphasizing sustainable and energy-efficient housing with vertical construction priority. Additionally, the cabinet ratified a cybersecurity framework and energy policy amendments to enhance oil refinery capabilities.
PM Shehbaz Sharif chairs a meeting of the federal cabinet.—Online ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Monday approved the National Housing Policy 2026 along with an action plan for its implementation, directing that housing projects comply fully with zoning laws and that vertical construction be prioritised to make more efficient use of land. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad. The cabinet was told that the policy had been prepared by a working group made up of national and international experts, and that federal ministries, provincial governments and development partners had been consulted during the drafting process. Its core objective, members were informed, is the provision of sustainable, safe and quality housing for all citizens. Alongside the zoning and vertical-housing directives, the cabinet instructed that energy-efficiency codes be made an integral part of the National Housing Policy, so that new construction conforms to energy-efficient and environmentally friendly requirements. Housing projects must comply fully with zoning laws and prioritise vertical construction, cabinet rules Members were also briefed on progress under the prime minister’s Apna Ghar scheme. The cabinet was informed that various banks had approved loans worth Rs220 billion for applicants seeking to build or purchase homes, and that more than Rs32 billion had already been disbursed to successful applicants. In a separate decision, the cabinet approved the withdrawal of the notice terminating the 1981 bilateral investment treaty between Pakistan and Sweden. The approval came on a summary submitted to the meeting by the Board of Investment. The Ministry of Information Technology placed before the cabinet the draft Pakistan Information Security Framework 2026, known as PISF 2026. The cabinet was told that the framework had been prepared under the CERT Rules 2023, and that it seeks to establish a comprehensive and unified system of baseline information-security standards while ensuring central oversight. Approving the framework, the cabinet described it as an important guiding document for cybersecurity and directed that its effective implementation be ensured within the prescribed timeframe. The cabinet further ratified a decision taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy held on July 28. Under that decision, proposed amendments to the Pakistan Oil Refining Policy 2023 were endorsed, providing for the upgrading of oil refineries so that the country’s energy requirements can be met more effectively. Decisions taken at two meetings of the Economic Coordination Committee, held on July 27 and August 4, were also ratified, as were decisions taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases held on July 24. Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2026