Punjab Province

Lahore : ReNews Pakistan
Canton Sky Tower has been launched in Lahore by OZ Developers as a new mixed use real estate development designed around Pakistan China business links, wholesale trade and integrated commercial and residential activity. The project brings business, trade and living together within a single vertical development.
Located on Main Raiwind Road near Adda Plot and the Lahore Ring Road, Canton Sky Tower is being positioned as more than a conventional commercial building. The development includes commercial units, exhibition and wholesale space, a food court and residential apartments across different floors.
A central element of the project is the Pakistan China Town concept, developed in collaboration with Guangdong Huashu International Economic and Trade Group. According to project information, the model aims to connect Pakistani businesses with a network of more than 3,000 verified Chinese manufacturers across 11 industrial categories.
The business model is focused on business to business trade rather than conventional consumer retail. Commercial spaces are intended to support product displays, wholesale transactions and direct sourcing links between Pakistani businesses and Chinese manufacturers.
The development combines commercial and exhibition activity on the lower floors, a food court component and residential units on the upper floors. This creates an integrated model where trade, business services and residential facilities operate within the same project.
The launch comes as mixed use developments continue to gain attention in Lahore’s real estate market. Developers are increasingly combining commercial, residential and lifestyle components in single projects to create destinations that can generate activity throughout the day rather than relying only on traditional retail footfall.
Canton Sky Tower’s wholesale focused model also seeks to differentiate the project from conventional shopping plazas. Its proposed network of Chinese manufacturers could provide local importers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers with direct sourcing opportunities, potentially creating a business ecosystem around the development.
The long term performance of the project will depend on how effectively the wholesale platform connects Chinese manufacturers with Pakistani businesses and how successfully the commercial component attracts sustained business activity.
OZ Developers has positioned Canton Sky Tower as a business, trade and residential destination that aims to bring Pakistan China commercial cooperation into Lahore’s growing mixed use real estate sector.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan
The Punjab government has doubled its target for providing interest free loans under the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Programme following a record number of applications, aiming to provide financial assistance to more deserving families for the construction of their own homes.
A meeting chaired by Punjab Housing Minister Bilal Yasin reviewed the progress of the programme, loan disbursements and pending payments. Director General PHATA Sikandar Zeshan, Urban Unit Chief Executive Officer Umar Masood, representatives of the Bank of Punjab and officials from other relevant institutions attended the meeting.
The meeting was informed that more than Rs 243 billion in interest free loans have so far been disbursed under the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Programme, while the number of approved loans has crossed 200,000.
According to the briefing, 114,237 houses have been completed under the programme, while construction work is currently underway on another 45,254 houses.
Punjab Housing Minister Bilal Yasin directed the relevant authorities to immediately release pending payments and said complaints regarding unnecessary delays in loan disbursements would be addressed promptly.
He said the primary objective of the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Programme is to provide deserving families with dignified, secure and permanent housing. The provincial government, he added, is taking measures to ensure that more families can benefit from the initiative and build their own homes.
Bilal Yasin also directed the concerned institutions to accelerate the process of resolving citizens’ complaints. He instructed the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to ensure effective coordination among all stakeholders involved in the programme.
The provincial minister said the loan disbursement targets for the current financial year had been doubled in view of the record number of applications, enabling more deserving families to fulfil their dream of owning a home.

Rawalpindi : ReNews Pakistan
Construction of three new underpasses on Peshawar Road in Rawalpindi is scheduled to begin during the first week of September 2026, marking a major step toward completion of the final phase of the city’s signal-free corridor project.
The three underpasses will be constructed at Qasim Market Chowk, Charing Cross Chowk and Qabristan Chowk, with the combined estimated cost of the projects standing at approximately Rs 8.835 billion.
The development is part of the final section of the Kachehri Chowk to Chungi No. 26 and Motorway Chowk signal-free corridor, which is being developed to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion on one of Rawalpindi’s key transportation routes.
According to the project plan, authorities have almost completed the relocation of utility services at all three construction sites. Alternative traffic routes have also been finalized to ensure that vehicular movement continues while construction work is underway.
The relocation of electricity, gas, telecommunications and other utility infrastructure is considered an important preparatory step before major civil works begin. Authorities are expected to implement traffic diversions in phases to minimize disruption for commuters and residents using Peshawar Road.
The three underpasses will eliminate major traffic signal points along the corridor and are expected to improve the movement of vehicles between central Rawalpindi and major road networks leading toward Islamabad and surrounding areas.
An underpass at Golra Mor has already been completed under the same signal-free corridor project. Once the remaining three underpasses are constructed and the overall corridor becomes operational, motorists are expected to benefit from significantly smoother and faster journeys.
The completed corridor will provide improved connectivity to Islamabad International Airport, the Islamabad Lahore Motorway, Peshawar Motorway and Hazara Motorway, strengthening the road link between Rawalpindi, Islamabad and major regional routes.
Under the project plan, travel time between Kachehri Chowk and Motorway Chowk is expected to fall to around 20 minutes once the entire signal free corridor is fully operational.
The project is also expected to support long term urban mobility in Rawalpindi by reducing delays at busy intersections, improving traffic circulation and providing more efficient access to major residential, commercial and transportation zones.
With utility relocation and traffic management arrangements nearing completion, the start of construction in September is expected to move the long-planned final phase of the signal free corridor into its main execution stage.