Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reaffirmed the government's commitment to protecting religious minorities, saying members of such communities are equal citizens of Pakistan and it is the state's duty to ensure their safety.

In a wide-ranging interview with Turkish media outlet A News, broadcast on Wednesday, the premier termed as "unfortunate" and "terrible" the killing over the weekend of 11 Shia Hazara coal miners in Balochistan's Mach area and the mob attack on a Hindu shrine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak district last month.

Prime Minister Imran attributed the attacks on Hazaras to "the legacy of the 1980s" when Pakistan participated in the Afghan jihad.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1600056/minorities-equal-citizens-of-pakistan-states-job-to-protect-them-pm-imran