Karachi: A fifth shelter home to provide free lodging and boarding facilities to homeless people has been launched in Karachi.
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, accompanied by Managing-Director of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, launched the new shelter home (Panah Gah) in the Lyari area. These shelter homes are being established under the Ehsaas flagship poverty alleviation project of the federal government.
The others are in Sohrab Goth, Surjani Town, Orangi, and Korangi localities of Karachi. The new shelter home can accommodate up to 100 people at a time. To avail of this facility, Computerised National Identity Card should be presented.
Akhtar Hussain Baloch, in-charge official of the Lyari’s new shelter home, said the facility will also be available to visitors who have no boarding facilities.
A website of the shelter home project of the government says that so far 8,634 people had been provided with free accommodation facilities in Karachi while the scheme has also served 2,84,784 meals so far to the needy people.
Speaking on the occasion, the Sindh Governor said the government had been working on the project to expand the network of shelter homes in the country for the benefit of the labourers and daily wage earners.
He said the present government for the first time in the history of Pakistan had unveiled a scheme aimed at ensuring that no poor person should go to bed in the night with an empty stomach.
The Governor appreciated the support provided by non-profit Saylani Welfare Trust to run these free of charge shelter and food facilities.
He said these shelter homes were being established in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to establish a welfare state in Pakistan in accordance with the Islamic principles.
