The Baloch Students Council Punjab has expressed serious concerns over the ongoing harassment, profiling, and expulsion of Baloch students from hostels at Punjab University, Lahore. A spokesperson for the council issued a statement condemning these actions, calling them a clear demonstration of the state’s anti-education stance and its efforts to alienate the Baloch from education.
The spokesperson highlighted that the years-long crackdown on students and forced disappearances in Balochistan are not limited to the region alone. When Baloch students, seeking refuge from volatile situations, move to Punjab for better educational opportunities, they are faced with harassment, profiling, and accusations of having links with armed groups. Such actions have become a routine part of student life in several institutions.
At Punjab University, the so-called disciplinary committee has provided space for secret agencies to operate, granting them the freedom to harass Baloch students. The administration allows these agencies to block students’ paths, intimidate them within departments, and warn them against engaging in political activities, with threats of dire consequences. The university, once a place of learning, is increasingly resembling a police or military barracks, where Baloch students are harassed in hostels and forced to leave. An atmosphere of fear is being created, with students now being coerced into making videos praising the administration.
Moreover, unrelated individuals are frequently seen on campus questioning students about their alleged ties to armed organizations, further escalating the harassment. This behavior clearly aims to pressure Baloch students into abandoning their studies and degrees out of fear.
Female Baloch students are particularly vulnerable, being isolated in hostels and subjected to harassment based on their language and identity. In some instances, students have been issued warning letters simply for speaking their language or being seen together in public, often based on their appearance or dress code.
The spokesperson emphasized that Baloch students at Punjab University are suffering from mental distress, as they are harassed solely based on their identity. These students, who left their homes in search of education, are now deprived of hostel accommodations and forced to live outside. Additionally, they are being coerced into making videos under duress and threatened with further harassment.
The spokesperson further added that these efforts to make education inaccessible to Baloch students expose the state’s agenda to suppress Baloch intellectual and cultural growth. Harassing Baloch students and attempting to push them away from education is completely unacceptable. The Baloch Students Council Punjab calls on all student organizations and concerned individuals to raise their voices against these grave violations of students’ rights.
