Balochistan: Students Protest Against Abduction of Colleagues and Closure of BMC

QUETTA: In two separate protests across Balochistan, students from the Agricultural University of Uthal and Bolan Medical College (BMC) have raised their voices against issues affecting their education and the safety of their peers.

At the Agricultural University of Othal, a large group of students, including both male and female participants, held a rally within the university campus to protest against the recent enforced disappearances of several students.

The protesters carried placards and photographs of their missing colleagues, demanding their immediate recovery.

The students reported that four of their peers, Gulab, Balach, Bayan, and Nasir, were detained from Othal Bazaar the previous day. While some have been released, others remain in illegal custody of security forces at unknown locations and nobody knows about their well-being.

The protestors condemned the abduction of students and emphasised the growing insecurity in the educational environment.

“The field of education has also been made unsafe. The abduction of students is unacceptable. They are playing with our education and personal lives. We will remain silent until our friends are returned,” they said.

The protesting students expressed that Baloch students are increasingly being targeted and warned that their protests would intensify if their colleagues did not recover. “If our colleagues are not recovered, we will escalate our protest, and the responsibility for all of this will lie with the administration and authorities.”

Separately, in Quetta, the sit-in by students of BMC continued for the fifth consecutive day.

The students have been protesting against the closure of the college and its hostels, which they argue is negatively impacting their education.

The protesters have accused the BMC administration and law enforcement agencies of facilitating the illegal occupation of the hostels by security forces, severely disrupting the educational atmosphere.

According to the students, the ongoing closure of the college and hostels has jeopardised their academic futures, and they have demanded the immediate reopening of these facilities.

Additionally, the students have expressed concerns over recent raids and arrests, during which some students were injured or left unconscious. The protesters assert that these actions are part of a deliberate effort to deprive Baloch students of their right to education.

“The closure of our educational institutions is an attempt to deny us our basic rights. We will not remain silent under any circumstances and will continue to raise our voices for our rights,” the protesters added.

The students also voiced their strong opposition to the use of educational institutions for military purposes. They vowed to prevent their campuses from being turned into military centres, accusing the authorities of fueling divisions between Baloch and Pashtun students, an act they consider unacceptable.

Despite five days of protest, the authorities have yet to respond to the students’ demands. The protesting students have made it clear that their sit-in will continue until their demands are met, including the reopening of the college and hostels and the release of detained students.

Both protests by students highlight the ongoing unrest in Balochistan, where students are not only fighting for their educational rights but also the safe return of their missing peers.