PM begins austerity from his own

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan while kicking off the austerity drive from his own, has announced to reside at the three-bed residence of the Military Secretary instead of the lavish PM House.

Giving a road-map of his priorities and policies in his televised address to the nation on Sunday, he said currently there were 524 employees deployed at the PM House, but he would use only two for domestic service.

Imran Khan said he would decline to use the heavy fleet of armoured vehicles except two owing to security threats. He announced to auction rest of the vehicles to support the national kitty.

The prime minister said none of the governors would reside in the governor house and ensure maximum austerity in the chief minister houses of the PTI-led provinces. He said a committee of experts and intellectuals would decide the future use of the governor houses.

Khan addressed the nation for more than an hour, repeating many of his campaign pledges to build an Islamic welfare state but also touching on issues rarely mentioned by Pakistani prime ministers such as fighting child sex abuse and climate change.

“I will fight the corrupt. Either this country will survive or the corrupt people,” he said.

Khan called for a progressive tax system, vowing to spend the money on the neediest — such as malnourished children, and justice for victims of abuse — and on fighting climate change.