With every passing day, the Pakistani state is finding new ways and methods to marginalise the Baloch in every sphere of life, wherever they are. The latest in this ongoing trend is the organised, systematic harassment of the students from Balochistan, ethnic Baloch, both boys and girls, pursuing education in different universities. Be it in Pakistani Punjab, at Lahore University, or in Karachi in Sindh, these students are becoming targets of the security forces repeatedly.
Due to lack of educational opportunities in Balochistan, where good colleges, good universities are scarce, the Baloch are forced to study in Karachi, Lahore and elsewhere. Middle class Baloch families are focussing more on educating their children as it often keeps them away from the troubled province which is in the throes of a political upheaval for the past few years. As such, they are investing in providing educational opportunities to their wards even if the costs are way too much for them.
Social activists like Dr Mahrang Baloch, an influential figure in political landscape of Balochistan today, is an ideal model which the younger generation wants to follow. What may look like an irony, a large number of armed Baloch men who are fighting the Pakistani hegemony and stifling enforced disappearances, are also highly educated. This means those in the Baloch society, who can afford to provide education to their wards, are doing so. However, the problems they face all over Pakistan are growing.
Due to all the problems the Baloch students have been facing, the Baloch Students Council Punjab has expressed deep concern over the ongoing harassment, profiling, and forced eviction of Baloch students from hostels at Punjab University, Lahore. In an official statement, the Council condemned what it termed a “systematic campaign to isolate and marginalise Baloch students’’ within academic institutions. It is not the first time that such complaints are being received but there is a tendency to dismiss them as non-serious in nature.
According to the Council’s spokesperson, these actions are part of a broader state-led effort to hinder access to education for Baloch youth and are aimed at pushing them away from academic pursuits. The spokesperson further stated that what began as a crackdown and wave of enforced disappearances in Balochistan has now extended to educational institutions in Punjab, according to The Balochistan Post.
“When Baloch students, escaping repression in their home province, come to Punjab seeking better educational opportunities, they are met with discrimination and daily humiliation,” the spokesperson said. These students leave their homes and hearths as there are not enough opportunities to pursue education in Balochistan, he pointed out.
The statement highlighted that under the guise of a “disciplinary committee,” intelligence agencies have been given a free hand within the university. Agents reportedly stop students on campus, enter classrooms and departments, and issue threats, warning students against participating in political activities. “The university now resembles a military cantonment more than a place of learning,” the Council remarked.
Moreover, Baloch students are allegedly being coerced into recording video statements in praise of the university administration. Those who resist face expulsion from hostels, creating an atmosphere of fear designed to force them out of education entirely.
The Council also noted a disturbing trend of unauthorised individuals interrogating Baloch students about their political views and organizational affiliations. The situation for Baloch female students was described as even more alarming. The statement claimed that they are often targeted based on their language and traditional dress, and if seen together in groups, they are issued warning letters by university authorities.
The Baloch Students Council called upon all student organizations, civil society groups, and human rights institutions to raise their voices against these serious and troubling developments. “Denying Baloch students the right to education is an unacceptable act that must be strongly condemned,” the spokesperson concluded.
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