The Baloch Students Action Committee said in a press release that the elimination of the quota of Baloch students in various medical colleges of Punjab is unacceptable.
The spokesperson for the Committee said that due to the academic backwardness in Balochistan, the government had assigned a fixed quota for Baloch students in various medical colleges of Punjab. He said that the said quota is being gradually reduced – this is unacceptable.
He further stated that per the new policy, the Baloch students’ quota has been practically eliminated in King Edward Medical College, Allama Iqbal Medical College and Nishtar Medical College.
The statement said that due to the abysmal academic infrastructure in Balochistan, dozens of students travel to Punjab to these institutions in pursuit of medical education. The elimination of Balochistan’s quota falls in the category of “anti-education” actions.
The spokesperson said that Balochistan’s quota is either being reduced or eliminated in other academic institutions of the country. Similar decisions had been made in Bahauddin Zakaria University in Multan, the Punjab University and the Islamia University in Bahawalpur, which prompted the Baloch students to launch a long march from Multan to Lahore in protest.
He said that the elimination of Balochistan’s quota in medical colleges is alarming, and the decision is unacceptable. We request the government of Balochistan and the relevant authorities to abrogate the decision and reinstate the former policy in this regard, he added.
But if this policy persists, then the BSAC has a democratic right to protest against it, the statement concluded.