Govt will pay 'full attention to the socio-economic development of Balochistan,' says PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that the PTI government will pay "full attention to the socio-economic development of Balochistan," adding that it was "never given importance by the past governments because the entire province's vote bank is equal to that of Faisalabad."

As reported by Geo News, the prime minister was presiding over a meeting comprising young social media influencers from all over the country. During the meeting, he touched upon several issues, including Balochistan, the Opposition and performance of the previous governments. He also listened to the comments of the influencers and answered several questions. 

Speaking about the problems which historically plagued the province, PM Imran Khan added that the development funds allocated to Balochistan directly went to the tribal leaders for a long time, who continued to accumulate wealth and power but the masses remained poor and deprived.

"The PTI-led government is the first one in history which is working towards the socio-economic development of Balochistan and paying full attention to it," PM Imran Khan claimed. "We are employing efforts to develop South Balochistan through different packages, but we are still short of funds."

Answering a question about the unrest in Balochistan and a certain narrative that people have developed about the province, PM Imran Khan said that the PTI-led government will do whatever it can to improve the situation there.

"The sectarianism and the targeted killing of Hazaras started in the 1980s with the arrival of the Afghan Jihad. This was the time when we saw the rise of militant sectarianism for the first time," PM Imran Khan said. 

He added it was unfortunate that many militant groups formed when the United States left Afghanistan in 1989 and they wreaked havoc in Pakistan, particularly targeting the Hazara Shia community.

"Our security agencies opine that the recent killings of the Hazara community in Balochistan, which is claimed by ISIS, is backed by India," he maintained. "It is India's stated aim to spread terrorism in Pakistan, especially through sectarianism."

The premier said that despite having the knowledge about India's plan and the diligent work of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the terrorists targeted a remote location in Balochistan.