The Baloch Students’ Council (BSC) Punjab has rejected allegations against its members, claiming that the accusations are part of a wider crackdown designed to distance Baloch students from education. The spokesperson for the council at Punjab University clarified that their sole focus is on helping Baloch students with educational issues, offering career counseling, and supporting them in academic activities.
The spokesperson emphasized that linking student councils to other armed organizations is a deliberate strategy to target and harass Baloch students, both mentally and physically. According to the council, these efforts are intended to create an atmosphere of fear and coercion that discourages students from pursuing their education.
The spokesperson further highlighted the broader context behind these actions, stating that despite Baloch students constituting less than one percent of the total student population in Punjab and the federal regions, they continue to face systematic challenges. “We’ve seen that each time, a new scheme is devised to instill fear and prevent Baloch students from advancing in their education,” they said.
The council pointed to a series of troubling incidents over the past year, during which approximately ten cases of enforced disappearances or raids on student accommodations have occurred. Most recently, ten Baloch students were forcibly disappeared from Islamabad, while a student from Punjab University was also abducted.
Concluding their statement, the spokesperson reiterated that these baseless accusations are part of a larger plan to harass and profile Baloch students, justifying their enforced disappearances. They warned the authorities that any further harassment or abductions of their peers would be the sole responsibility of the state and its institutions. The council firmly declared that they would not compromise on the safety or future of their fellow students.