GWADAR: Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Naya Pakistan Housing program — his government’s flagship project — in Quetta on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, he said he was happy that the scheme would also have housing units for the poor fishermen of province.
The federal government will build 135,000 housing units in the first phase of the mega five-million housing program: 25,000 of these apartments will be constructed in Islamabad for federal government employees while 110,000 apartments will be built in Balochistan for the fishermen of Gwadar.
“I am happy that we are making most of the houses for these poor fishermen,” Khan said while addressing the inauguration ceremony.
“It has become difficult for salaried individuals to build houses today,” he continued. “Keeping that in mind, we have launched this program.”
Bringing Chief Minister Jam Kamal’s attention to the sprawling Quetta city, the prime minister stressed the need for a master plan for Balochistan’s capital to keep it from expanding further.
Describing the state of Madinah as his governance benchmark, Khan said that his government would spend more on Balochistan and focus its attention on the underdeveloped parts of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces since they lagged behind the rest of the country.
Discussing the overall economic situation of Pakistan, he said that the country spent nearly half of the collected tax amount on repaying its loans.
“Out of the Rs4500 billion of taxes that we collect annually, Rs2000 billion are consumed on our loan installments,” he said, noting that he was hopeful the situation would gradually improve since foreign investment was now coming to the country.
“China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are investing [in Pakistan]. We are also expecting investment from Malaysia and are negotiating with Turkey,” he added.
Earlier, the prime minister was received at the airport by Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal and Governor Amanullah Khan Yasinzai.
During his brief visit to the city, he also met with the bereaved family members of those who lost their lives in the Hazarganji market terrorist attack on April 12.
PM inaugurates new housing scheme for Gwadar fishermen
PM inaugurates new housing scheme for Gwadar fishermen
- Around 110,000 housing units will be built in Balochistan for the fishermen
- He also met with the bereaved families of Hazarganji market attack victims
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
