Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday moved into a three-bedroom house of his military secretary along with two servants, a day after announcing that he would not be staying in the sprawling PM House that has a staff of 524, keeping his pledge to cut down the expenditure of the cash-strapped government.
Before Mr. Khan was sworn in, his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had reported that the Chief Minister’s annex in Punjab House will be utilised as the Prime Minister’s residence. But it was later decided by Mr. Khan to move to the military secretary’s residence following security concerns.
Mr. Khan’s new residence is situated in the PM House Colony and according to media reports, he will spend Sundays at his own home in Banigala.
Pledge of austerity
Detailing plans on how he will cut down his own as well the country’s expenditure, he said on Sunday in his maiden speech as a Prime Minister: “I will keep two people with me out of the 524. I will be staying in a three-bedroom house. I will have to keep two of the cars [out of 80] because my intelligence agencies tell me my life is under threat...”
Mr. Khan said his government would auction off all the other bullet proof cars and invited businesses to buy them during auction.