Several Baloch student councils and organisations condemned the baton-charge of Islamabad police on Baloch students in the federal capital on Tuesday.
The students were protesting peacefully against the enforced disappearance of a Quaid-i-Azam University student, Hafeez Baloch, who had been whisked away last month during a visit to his hometown in Khuzdar. Hafeez was reportedly taken away from a tuition class in his town where he was teaching physics to school students.
A central spokesperson for Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) condemned the incident, saying that beating students openly in the federal capital was an example of the extreme level of barbarism on Baloch students. Citing the constitution, he said that peaceful protest was the fundamental right of every citizen. “Open baton-charge on peaceful protesting students is an attempt to deprive the Baloch students of their right to protest,” he added.
The spokesperson further said that the harassment of Baloch students through different means is a conspiracy to keep them mentally disturbed. “They are now being physically punished, too, through violence which is reprehensible,” he said.
The spokesperson decried the profiling of Baloch students in the varsities of Punjab and the federal capital, asking the government to take notice of the forcible disappearances and profiling of the students. “The government should ensure the safety of Baloch students in Punjab and Islamabad,” he maintained.
A spokesperson for Baloch Students Council Faisalabad said that the baton-charge by the police on innocent students was proof of the ‘discriminatory attitude’ of the law enforcement agencies towards Baloch students in the capital. He said that the students were peacefully protesting, but they were met with a heavy-handed reaction by the police. The spokesperson asked the human rights defenders and organisations to raise their voices for them.
Baloch Students Council Multan denounced the “cowardly attack” of police on Baloch students in Islamabad, saying that the students were peaceful and legal towards their demand of the safe recovery of Hafeez Baloch. They added that the recent change in the administrative behaviour towards Baloch students was concerning, leading to fear among Baloch students studying in universities outside Balochistan.
The Baloch Students Council Lahore objected to the behaviour of Islamabad police towards Baloch students, adding that it would only “fuel the anger of the Baloch students towards the administration”. They appealed to the state to bring back Hafeez as soon as possible and asked the human rights organisations to become their voice.
The central spokesperson of the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO) announced a demonstration in Quetta against the attitude of the Islamabad police. The spokesperson further said that because of a lack of educational facilities in Balochistan, students preferred to turn to other provinces. “But they end up becoming the victims of a discriminatory attitude of the administrations there,” he said.
In a press release, the central spokesperson of Baloch Students Council Islamabad said that they were peacefully organising a protest rally against the enforced disappearances of Hafeez Baloch and Dileep Baloch – a student of MA in English literature in Islamia University Bahawalpur who was abducted and released later – after which the Islamabad police baton-charged the students and inflicted violence on them.
He added that due to the baton-charge, some students were injured and were immediately hospitalised. In conclusion, the spokesperson appealed to people from all walks of life to become their voice against the injustices being inflicted on them.
