Pakistan, Iran to enhance cooperation in Housing Sector
By Khalid Amin

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan and Iran will enhance cooperation in the Housing sector.
This was announced during the Federal Minister for Housing and Works, Rehmatullah Kakar's meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Saeedi Kia here Tuesday morning.
Speaking during the meeting, the Federal Minister invited Iranian builders to invest in Pakistan's housing sector and added that the government of Prime Minister Syed Yousef Raza Gilani had decided to launch a programme for the construction of one million houses every year for the low income people.
The Minister said Pakistan and Iran could share each other's experiences and technical expertise in the housing sector. He said we are particularly interested in the new technology that Iran was using in this sector.
The Minister invited his Iranian counterpart to attend an international seminar on housing to be held soon in Islamabad.
The Iranian Minister for Housing and Urban Development, while reiterating his government desires to enhance relations with Pakistan, proposed that a team of Iranian experts visit Pakistan to review mechanism of participation in Pakistan's housing projects. He said Iran was also interested in benefiting from Pakistan's experience in the housing sector. He H
Meanwhile, the Federal Minister speaking to reporters at a lunch hosted in his honor by Pakistan Ambassador Shafkat Saeed, said: Pakistan currently has a shortage of 7 million houses, which is rising by 300,000 annually. He said Pakistan is open to investment by Iran and other members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
He said, "we are doing everything we can to solve the housing problems in Pakistan. Counties such as China, Iran, Turkey, Spain and the United Kingdom are helping Pakistan to develop our housing sector in all provinces."
Mr. Kakar is in Tehran to attend the second Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD), which opened Monday and runs until May 14. The Conference is expected to issue a Tehran Declaration.