Prime Minister Imran Khan wishes to stay at the ambassador’s official residence in Washington DC to avoid luxurious hotels during his US visit. The decision has been made to cut the cost of the tour from staying at lavish hotels. But the US authorities are not satisfied with the said decision.
The US secret service is deployed to take care of the security of every official guest who visits the US. Local administration and secret service jointly work to ensure the security of the dignitaries and to maintain the flow of day to day activities and traffic in the city. The authorities are not in favor of this option as the ambassador’s residence is located in the heart of Washington’s diplomatic enclave. The residence is surrounded by multiple embassies including Turkish, Indian, and Japanese, etc.
Moreover, the residence is not spacious enough to accommodate the meetings with US officials, lawmakers, and media personnel. The meetings would have to be conducted at the embassy. While staying in the said area, PM Khan would have to go through the busy routes which is expected to affect the flow of traffic in rush hours. Any closure for security purpose will also affect the residents of the area and other embassy’s officials to reach their workplace.
To avoid these issues, the dignitaries are suggested to stay at the hotels which are very close to the White House. Some of the most famous hotels are Willard InterContinental, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and Georgetown. Wardman Park Marriott is also suggested as a comparatively less expensive option. The hotels are easily secured by the agencies as they provide separate entry and exit points.
PM Imran Khan would meet the US President Donald Trump on 22 July 2019, during his three-day visit to the US. Bilateral issue and improvement in ties between the two countries will be discussed in the meeting.
