Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the banks and financial institutions should play their role in extending loans to farmers, SMEs and the housing sector.

He was chairing a meeting on Access to Finance for Agriculture, Housing and SMEs sector in Islamabad.

Shehbaz Sharif said the government will encourage banks that make a proactive contribution to expanding access to credit.

He said agricultural sector is the backbone of the country’s economy, and working for its development is a national responsibility.

The Prime Minister directed that farmers be ensured uninterrupted access to financial resources on easy terms.

He said providing affordable housing for low-income and middle-class segments is a priority.

The Prime Minister directed provincial chief secretaries to conduct a comprehensive survey of properties for which banks could provide loans to aspiring homeowners under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme.

The meeting was informed that 147,504 applications have so far been received under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme, of which 53,127 applications have been approved. The total value of approved applications under the scheme stands at 313.42 billion rupees while 45.43 billion rupees in loans have been disbursed to 8,739 applicants.

It was informed that a system is being developed to identify plots across the country that meet mortgage requirements. The pilot project will be launched in Islamabad.

It was informed that bank lending to the SME sector stood at 1.067 trillion rupees as of August this year, while the Access to Finance Plan 2026–28 has set a target of two trillion rupees by June 2028.