The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, led by Imran Khan, has decided to put up the Prime Minister House in Islamabad for rent, reported Saama Tv.
Khan, who had earlier vowed to convert the building into a university and education hub, has decided to rent it out for fashion, cultural and educational events. The decision was finalized by the Federal Cabinet of Pakistan. In this regard, two committees have been constituted to ensure that the ‘decorum’ and ‘discipline’ of the PM House are maintained during these events. It must be mentioned that Imran Khan had vacated the Prime Minister House in August 2019 and shifted to his plush residence at Bani Gala.
Imran khan had auctioned buffaloes and luxury cars belonging to PM House
Earlier in September 2018, PM Imran Khan decided to auction the buffaloes that were housed in PM’s official residence. The sale of the bovines had fetched PKR 23.02 lacs. Dawn had reported that it was a part of the austerity drive of Khan, who had vowed to cut down on government expenses amidst Pakistan’s economic crisis. The Pakistani Prime Minister had also auctioned off 61 luxury cars that belonged to the PM House and added PKR 20 crores to the government funds. A month later in October, he had chaired a meeting to convert the PM House into a university.
PM House was to be converted into a university
Imran Khan had directed the constitution of a committee to review the charter of the university. The meeting was attended by Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman Tariq Banuri, the then Education Minister of Pakistan, and other officials. During the said meeting, it was decided that two separate committees would be formed for draft charter evaluation and selection of a vice-chancellor. PM Imran Khan had also approved the establishment of an Institute of Advanced Studies as part of the proposed university.
Imran Khan rents out PM House for wedding ceremony of army man’s daughter
In August 2019, Imran Khan came under the spotlight for renting out the PM House for the wedding ceremony of one Brigadier Waseem Iftikhar Cheema’s daughter Anam Waseem. At that time, Cheema was the military secretary to the Pakistani Prime Minister. Khan soon became the subject of a social media tirade for using the PM House as a wedding venue. However, in less than 3 years’ time, PM Imran Khan took a U-turn and decided to rent out the PM House and add funds to the government’s coffers.