Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan wants to stay at theofficial residence of his country envoy in Washington during his visit to theUS to reduce the cost of the trip, a media report has said, amid an austeritydrive by the government to solve the cash-strapped nation’s financial woes.

Prime Minister Khan, after assuming office last year,launched several austerity measures.Officials in Islamabad are believed to haveinformed the Pakistan embassy that Prime Minister Khan desires to stay at theambassador’s official residence in Washington during his three-day visit to theUS starting from July 21, Dawn newspaper reported.

The International Monetary Fund’s executive board last weekapproved a three-year USD 6 billion bailout plan to resuscitate Pakistan’sailing economy.

But the IMF has attached some tough terms for the bailout,indicating that the government needs to take strict austerity measures.Whilestaying at the ambassador’s residence can considerably reduce the cost of thevisit, Dawn report said that neither the United States secret service nor thecity administration appears “very receptive” to the idea, the paper said.