PM Khan admits Balochistan neglected by central governments due to small vote bank

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province-- its largest in terms of land size-- had been neglected by federal governments, and that the reason was its small vote bank, during a televised conversation with social media influencers on Sunday.
Balochistan, a sparsely populated, mountainous, desert region bordering Afghanistan and Iran, has often complained of neglect by the central government, and has been in the throes of a low-level insurgency against the government for years. 
“Balochistan has been neglected by our federal governments,” Khan said. “The entire vote bank of Balochistan is as big as the Faisalabad division.”
Last week, a gruesome attack claimed by Daesh on Balochistan’s Shia Hazara minority where 11 coalminers were brutally murdered made headlines around the world as questions arose regarding the root of militant sectarianism in the province.
The incident led to nationwide protests, and grieving families in the provincial capital Quetta said they would not bury the deceased until the Prime Minister came personally to see them-- a condition Khan turned down, choosing instead to visit the bereaved after the funerals of the slain workers.
“Our security agencies think Daesh is backed by India,” Khan said of the incident on Sunday, a day after his return from Quetta.
“Sectarianism is being inflamed by India in Pakistan,” he said.
Pakistan has repeatedly blamed India for fanning militancy in Balochistan, a charge New Delhi has consistently denied.
“We are the first government pushing for development in Balochistan,” he continued.
“But it’s a huge area and we just don’t have that many funds.”