Karachi: The chief minister of Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province admitted on Thursday that Islamic State (IS) militants could be active in the province.
Abdul Malik Baloch told Dawn News that the biggest problem facing the province was religious extremism and fanaticism which had increased in the province during the last three decades.
He said that fanaticism had taken root in the province after the former Soviet Union's invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan in the 1980s.
"I cannot rule out presence of IS or any militant group in Balochistan," he said when asked about the reports of presence of the extremist militant group in Pakistan's largest and resource-rich province.
He also admitted that the issue of missing persons was a major issue in the province but said so far "no considerable progress has been made with regard to missing persons". According to Malik, the province was facing manifold problems like insurgency, sectarianism, militant groups and tribal conflicts.
