Imran Khan has said he will forego the lavish lodgings normally used by Pakistan’s prime ministers and instead live in a three-bedroom house, with only two servants rather than hundreds, as he prepared the country for an austerity drive.

The newly sworn-in leader used his first address to the nation to rail against waste as his country faces a severe economic crisis.

The former cricket hero said it was shameful that the sprawling prime minister’s house had 524 staff and a fleet of 80 vehicles, 33 of them bulletproof.  The cars are to be sold off with only two kept for the new prime minister.

“ I want to tell my people, I will live a simple life, I will save your money,” he said.

The 65-year-old will live in a three-bed residence normally reserved for the military secretary.

He also used his Sunday evening address to call on the rich to start paying taxes and for Pakistani’s living overseas to send their money back to domestic banks to help the country’s foreign currency crisis.

In a 70-minute speech he repeated many of his populist campaign talking points, but offered little detail of how he will stave off an impending economic crisis which his own finance minister has said is dire.

Opposition parties also complained that he failed to mention how the country would deal with growing extremism, which Mr Khan has been accused of emboldening by invoking hardline issues like blasphemy on the campaign trail.

Meanwhile his new foreign minister said on Monday that he wanted talks with neighbouring India and Afghanistan.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, also stressed that the civilian government would determine foreign policy, potentially putting Mr Khan’s new administration on a collision with the powerful military. Pakistan’s generals have ruled the country for much of its history and view policy on national security, India and Afghanistan as their realm.

Mr Qureshi said that "the foreign policy of Pakistan will be formed here at the foreign office."