The Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) has strongly criticised the Balochistan government’s recent actions against protesting educators, describing the crackdown as “authoritarian” and “retaliatory,” and linking it to a long-standing pattern of suppressing dissent in Balochistan.
In a statement issued by its spokesperson, the BSAC said Balochistan’s history showed that whenever voices for rights and justice were raised, successive governments had responded with force rather than dialogue. The spokesperson said the current Balochistan government’s response to the Balochistan Grand Alliance’s demands reflected the same approach, calling it “shameful and undemocratic”.
The statement comes in the context of the government’s recent decision to suspend 32 assistant professors and lecturers of the Higher Education Department for three months under the Balochistan Employees Efficiency and Discipline Act (BEDA) for participating in strikes and protests. Among those suspended were six women teachers, as well as Balochistan Grand Alliance chairman Abdul Qudoos Kakar. The alliance has been leading protests for weeks over a range of demands related to employees’ rights.
According to the BSAC, instead of addressing what it described as legitimate demands, the government chose to “crush” protesting employees through punitive measures. The organisation said it condemned the “anti-worker policies” but viewed the resistance shown by teachers and other employees over recent months as a principled struggle.
The spokesperson said the suspensions and arrests of professors and lecturers, including women teachers, were particularly alarming at a time when Balochistan’s education system was already in crisis. “On one hand, the government repeatedly claims to be introducing reforms and improvements in education, while on the other hand it suspends and arrests teachers,” the statement said, adding that educators were among the most respected segments of society.
The BSAC accused the Balochistan government of being fearful of “knowledge and the pen”, arguing that dragging teachers into disciplinary action and targeting protest leaders exposed the authorities’ real priorities. “This shows that education and public welfare are not their concern; the only objective is the protection of power,” the spokesperson said.
Referring to negotiations between the government and the Balochistan Grand Alliance, the organisation said the alliance’s demands were legitimate and that an agreement had already been reached with the authorities. However, it alleged that when the time came to implement the agreement, the government backtracked, highlighting what it described as official non-seriousness and bad faith.
The BSAC further said it supported the ongoing protests by the Balochistan Grand Alliance and held the Balochistan government responsible for pushing educational institutions towards lockouts through what it called stubbornness and inflexibility. Restrictions on political activity and the suppression of freedom of expression, it added, had become routine and were signs of “political bankruptcy”.
Describing the relationship between students and teachers as that of “body and soul”, the BSAC said it could not remain a silent observer in the face of what it termed the humiliation of teachers and the use of force against peaceful protesters. The organisation called on the government to abandon coercive tactics and engage with protesters through peaceful means, urging authorities to listen to and address the demands rather than relying on repression.