Imran Khan to move into official residence: Report

The official residence of the PTI chief Imran Khan who is set to become the prime minister of Pakistan will be a house in the Ministers' Enclave in Islamabad, media report said.

Khan will be given a house in the minister's enclave as his private house is vulnerable to threats.

Earlier, Khan's Banigala residence was to be declared as his official residence. However, senior officials told him that his residence could not be provided foolproof security as the area was open and vulnerable to threats.

Following this Khan agreed not to use Banigala as his official residence.

He was also given an option to use an accommodation at the Ministers' Enclave, which he accepted, the report said. The report also added that Khan demanded a lower category house.

Khan who rose to power after the recent general elections in Pakistan emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly after the July 25 elections.

The 65-year-old cricketer turned politician will swear in as the new prime minister of Pakistan on August 11.

While addressing the nation on July 26, Khan had said earlier that he would not take the Prime Minister's House as his residence and that his party would later decide the fate of the building.

Soon after his party won the elections in Pakistan, the police and the district administration started extending VVIP protocol and security to Khan. Security was tightened around Khan's Banigala residence, Dawn newspaper reported.

Senior police officers also visited Khan's Banigala residence and assessed the home and the area around it, including the hills.

The police officials said there was no standard operating procedure for the prime minister-in-waiting, but since Khan is likely to be the next prime minister, necessary measures have been taken for his security, the report said.

They discussed security issues with PTI leader Naeemul Haq as well as the chief security officer of the residence, it said.

Issues regarding the official residence of the prime minister-in-waiting also came under discussion. The officials briefed them about the standard operating procedure (SOP) related to the security and protocol of the prime minister, the report added.

The senior officers also met Khan and briefed him about security and protocol.

There are flats which fall in the lowest category, but since necesary SOPs and protocol for prime minister could not be implemented there, the senior officers advised Khan against using a flat and instead prefer a house to which Khan agreed, the report said.

(With inputs from PTI)