The Punjab Police reportedly abducted four Baloch students in a raid on their hostels in the middle of the night in Lahore. The students were moved to an undisclosed location for “interrogation.” Two of the students were released afterward, but the other two still remain in custody. Student bodies and rights activists have condemned the arrest-cum-abductions of the students and called on the authorities for their safe release.
According to the details, the Punjab Police raided the hostels of the Baloch students in Punjab University in Lahore, arrested them, and moved them to an unknown location. Two of the students were released whereas the other two, identified as Adam Baloch and Imran Baloch, both students of the Punjab College, are still in custody.
Baloch students immediately highlighted the arrests on social media and sought answers from the city officials and higher authorities. In a media statement, the Baloch Students Council Federal and Punjab, a conglomeration of Baloch students based in twin cities and Punjab, condemned the abduction-like arrests of their fellow Baloch students. The group said that the abysmal condition of Balochistan and the ubiquitous insecurity have forced the Baloch students to seek education beyond the borders, like in Lahore Islamabad, and other major cities of Pakistan. But unfortunately, Baloch students are not safe anywhere in the country – they are being hunted down and harassed by the authorities.
The group said that this situation has mentally drained the Baloch students, both in Balochistan and beyond. Students are being abducted from the universities in Balochistan and now the trend is gradually starting in other major cities of Pakistan. The group called on the Pakistani authorities for the safe return of Adam Baloch and Imran Baloch.
The students were apprehended after Friday’s deafening explosion in Lahore’s Anarkali Bazar, a busy neighborhood. Three people were killed in the blast and 33 others were injured, three of them are reportedly in a critical state.
The Punjab Police initially said that it was a gas cylinder explosion, but later confirmed that it was indeed a bomb explosion. A few hours later, the Baloch Nationalist Army, the newly-formed alliance of Baloch Republican Army and the United Baloch Army, claimed responsibility for the attack. Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said in a news conference that Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan’s intelligence agencies are yet to fix responsibility on the culprits.
The Law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and launched a search operation for the culprits. The Punjab Police is reportedly being assisted by the Counter-Terrorism Department and Crime Investigation Authority. The police spokesperson told the media that after analyzing reams of data and CCTV footage from the nearby shops, the LEAs carried out several raids in the nearby areas and apprehended several suspects. Some of them were released after interrogation, whereas a few others still remain in custody.
A Punjab Police official told the media that there is a strong likelihood that the Baloch Nationalist Army was behind the attack, as the constituent groups of this newly formed organization – the UBA and the BRA – used similar time devices in their explosion.
The arrests of the Baloch students engendered a massive outcry on social media. Student groups and human rights activists came forward to express solidarity with the Baloch students and asked the authorities for a thorough investigation. Student groups called on the authorities for the safe release of their fellow students.