Pak senator chides Imran Khan govt for ignoring Balochistan during coronavirus crisis

Highlighting the discrimination faced against Baloch people at the hands of Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Senator Mohammad Usman Khan Kakar has said the authorities have not provided a single ventilator to Balochistan.

Speaking during the Parliament session, Kakar said there was a shortage of testing kits in the province, adding that there was only one laboratory in the country. "People have to wait for 15 days to receive their test results," Dawn quoted him as saying.

He criticised the National Disaster Management Authority's (NDMA) performance, terming it "unsatisfactory". He lashed out at the government for fighting with the opposition instead of taking drastic steps in dealing with the outbreak.

Balochistan, the most volatile province in the southwestern border of Pakistan has been under Pakistan's oppression since 1948. Balochistan is rich in minerals and is the largest province in the country.

The province has reported 2,239 coronavirus cases and 27 deaths so far. Meanwhile, the total number of cases in the country are nearing 37,000.

International groups such as the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have regularly called on Pakistan for its gross human rights abuses in Balochistan.

( With inputs from ANI )