Crushed by the backbreaking burden of everyday essentials, the fragile middle-class of Pakistan spent the last four years dreaming about accessible housing. The former ruling party had, after all, climbed to the hot seat on the lofty pledges of “delivering five million housing units…as a measure of comprehensive socio-economic uplift.” However, Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority proved to be yet another addition to the long, long list of broken promises. With almost 38 per cent of the urban population living in unaffordable housing, the latest estimate by World Bank has served as just another affirmation of what was already known. The golden project, which would have enthused a new lifeline to over 40 housing and construction-related industries, took a hit before even reaching the midpoint as only 59,000 units were worked upon, out of which a measly 20,000 had been completed. That housing poverty runs rife across the country, comprehensively pronounced in Balochistan (59,8 per cent), while the unaffordability ratio soared through the roof in Sindh (45.3 per cent), might not properly encapsulate the plight of those living in precarious housing conditions. Because drawn at Rs 3716 per adult per month, the poverty line for urban Pakistan does not give a fair idea of the ground realities, especially in consideration of double-digit inflation. The actual poverty rate has long been decried as thrice as high. Time and again, policy incentives have encouraged housing financing but the affordability factor has always been ignored. Announcements of housing loans do not even begin to address the booming land prices, the greed of the construction mafia and a shallow mortgage market. Those who choose to live in rented accommodations appear perpetually trapped in the debt cycle. The excruciating ordeal has become intensified thanks to a profound decline in purchasing power. As millions displaced out of their homes head back to normalcy and start looking for roofs, the crisis is about to grow much, much bigger. It would be well-advised for the government to look into the crippling matter beforehand and finally work upon its own housing policy. *