Construction and apartment sales are progressing at The Palms at Silk Gardens, a residential development in Surjani Town, Karachi. The project, which commenced on 20 May 2026, is notable for its regulated REIT backed structure and is part of the wider Silk Gardens master planned community.
The development offers a selection of 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, with current advertised prices ranging from Rs1.75 crore to Rs2.45 crore. The project spans approximately 1,217,494 square feet and is designed as a mixed-use community integrating residential units with retail and community facilities. Sales activity remains active, with inventory appearing across major property platforms.The Palms is being developed under the Silk Islamic Developmental REIT structure, with Arif Habib Dolmen REIT Management Limited overseeing the development and management framework. The broader Silk Gardens sponsorship involves established corporate groups including Fatima, Arif Habib Corporation, Yunus Brothers Pakistan Limited/Lucky Group, and Liberty. The project team also includes Central Depository Company as trustee, Arcop for architecture, and Arif Habib Development & Engineering Consultants for project management. This institutional structure distinguishes The Palms from many traditional apartment developments in Karachi, which have historically relied on conventional private builder models.

Islamabad | ReNews Pakistan
Pakistan and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have made progress towards strengthening development cooperation under a proposed $5.6 billion financing framework covering infrastructure development, transport connectivity, trade facilitation, private sector investment and public health initiatives.
The government has emphasised the need to translate the indicative financing commitments into a pipeline of well prepared development projects, with clearly defined timelines for project approvals, fund disbursements and implementation.
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema met Islamic Development Bank Group Chairman Dr Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 15, 2026, on the sidelines of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings.
The discussions focused on accelerating cooperation under Pakistan's Member Country Partnership Strategy (MCPS) 2026 to 2030, which envisages approximately $5.6 billion in indicative financing from the IsDB Group.
Cheema congratulated Dr Al Jasser on his re election for a second five year term and reaffirmed Pakistan's confidence in his leadership.
According to an official statement, the minister welcomed the financing framework but stressed that the proposed financial envelope must be translated into specific, investment-ready projects capable of delivering measurable economic and social benefits.
The $5.6 billion represents indicative financing envisaged under the partnership strategy rather than a single fully approved or immediately available loan package. Individual projects will require preparation, appraisal, financing approvals and compliance with the relevant conditions before funds can be disbursed.
The Sukkur Hyderabad M 6 Motorway featured prominently in the discussions, with Cheema appreciating the IsDB's $475 million financing for the project.
The M 6 Motorway is a major component of Pakistan's national motorway network, intended to improve road connectivity between Sindh's northern and southern regions and strengthen freight movement between Karachi's ports and the country's major industrial and commercial centres.
The project is also expected to support more efficient transport operations and improve the movement of goods along Pakistan's principal north-south trade corridor.
From an infrastructure and real estate development perspective, improved motorway connectivity could create opportunities for logistics centres, warehousing facilities, industrial estates and commercial developments near major transport interchanges.

Islamabad : ReNews Pakistan
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has initiated the process to hire an international zoological consultant for the planned Islamabad Wildlife Safari Park at Malpur, marking a significant step towards the project’s detailed technical planning.
The CDA’s Environment Wing issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on October 15, 2026, inviting eligible national and international consulting firms and joint ventures to submit bids through the federal e-PADS procurement system. This consultancy is financed from funds allocated for FY2026-27 and will be procured via international open competitive bidding using a single-stage, two-envelope process. The CDA has selected Least Cost Based Selection as the procurement method, with financial proposals required in US dollars. The successful proposal will be valid for 180 days.
CDA is seeking specialist firms with at least 10 years of continuous consultancy experience in zoos, aquariums, safari parks, or wildlife parks. Applicants must hold current corporate or commercial membership with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), along with membership in a regional zoo association, and possess relevant international experience in master planning and habitat design. These requirements indicate a focus on specialist zoological planning and habitat design rather than general park landscaping.

Quetta : ReNews Pakistan
Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Quetta is developing a cluster of 12 commercial plazas along Jinnah Expressway, establishing a significant mixed-use business and lifestyle destination within the housing scheme. The project integrates retail outlets, corporate offices, hospitality services, and residential apartments into a single corridor.
The formal earth breaking ceremony for the 12-plaza development occurred on April 24, 2026, marking the commencement of its physical construction phase. DHA Quetta continues to list the scheme among its active developing projects.
Positioned along Jinnah Expressway, one of DHA Quetta’s main arterial roads, the plazas are designed to offer direct frontage and visibility. This approach concentrates major mixed-use activity along a central movement corridor, aiming to create a distinct business district while neighbourhood commercial areas cater to local needs. The development is intended to remain active throughout the day, accommodating shoppers, office workers, hotel guests, and residents.
The programme for the 12 plazas includes dedicated spaces for retail businesses on the ground and lower floors, alongside formal corporate office environments. The inclusion of a hotel component aims to serve visitors, business travellers, and patrons of DHA Quetta’s facilities. Residential apartments are also part of the concept, creating vertical mixed-use buildings where living spaces are situated above commercial and corporate floors, providing residents direct access to amenities.
This development is advancing alongside DHA Quetta’s broader on-ground expansion efforts in 2026, which include possession activities in developed sectors, the opening of new recreational facilities, and the progression of commercial infrastructure. The authority views the Jinnah Expressway project as a substantial non residential undertaking designed to meet the growing demand from an expanding community.

Lahore | Riaz Hussain ReNews Pakistan
Significant progress has yet to be established in Punjab’s drive to inspect private school buildings and enforce building fitness certificate requirements. Despite the announcement of safety measures, the number of dangerous or dilapidated buildings remains unclear, raising questions about implementation beyond paperwork.
It remains unknown how many private school buildings have undergone technical inspections, how many have been declared unsafe and how many institutions have faced enforcement action. The lack of consolidated official figures has left the status of the government’s building audit campaign uncertain.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif ordered the audit several months ago following two successive school roof collapse incidents in Lahore that resulted in children’s deaths.
The Punjab School Education Department’s official Private Education Provider Registration and Information System (PEPRIS) lists a building fitness certificate among the documents required for both new private school registrations and registration renewals. While this confirms the certification requirement, its inclusion alone does not establish that all private school buildings have undergone a fresh safety audit. Effective implementation requires inspections and verification.
According to information reported in July 2026, the School Education Department approached the Communications and Works Department to inspect private school buildings and issue fitness certificates. The initial plan covered approximately 3,500 private schools in Lahore, with the exercise subsequently intended to extend across Punjab.
However, the Communications and Works Department proposed engaging independent third-party engineering consultants instead of assuming responsibility for issuing the certificates. The department maintained that many private schools operate from rented premises, residential properties or buildings used for other purposes, where approved engineering designs, evidence of compliance with construction standards and complete technical documentation are unavailable. These concerns highlighted the need for formal assessments of structural integrity.
Under a policy reported on July 18, private schools were permitted to obtain building fitness certificates from civil engineers or engineering firms registered with the Pakistan Engineering Council. The School Education Department directed deputy commissioners and chief executive officers of district education authorities to ensure implementation. The instructions stipulated that no private school would be registered without a valid building fitness certificate.
Earlier, the Lahore Education Authority directed private schools to arrange immediate safety inspections of their buildings, classrooms, roofs, boundary walls and main gates. According to a July 2 report, schools operating from dilapidated or unsafe premises were also instructed to suspend teaching activities until fitness certificates were issued.
The safety instructions included improving drainage, preventing rainwater accumulation and inspecting electrical wiring and equipment.
At the district level, a July 7 report from Multan cited a preliminary survey indicating that approximately 25 per cent of school buildings were dilapidated. It also identified weak roofs in some buildings and deficiencies in fire protection, emergency exits and other safety arrangements.
However, the report did not provide the total number of institutions inspected, a school by school list or the original technical assessment. The percentage therefore cannot be applied to private schools across Punjab.
The overall position regarding action against unsafe buildings also remains unclear. Although instructions exist to suspend teaching in dangerous premises and obtain fitness certificates, the government has yet to provide consolidated details of how many private school buildings have been demolished, how many institutions have been closed or relocated, and how many have been given time to undertake repairs.
The absence of these figures has fueled concerns that the audit process may have slowed or stalled, although the lack of publicly available data alone does not establish that inspections have stopped.