Balochistan varsity female students accuse army personnel of harassment, profiling

Female students at the University of Balochistan have accused the Pakistan armed forces of harassment during a recent raid on the girls’ hostel. They claim they were targeted under the pretext of a drug search and subjected to profiling, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

According to the report, university students alleged that officers from the Anti-Narcotics Forces, in uniform, entered the hostel and specifically targeted Baloch students for profiling. Eyewitnesses stated that the forces asked irrelevant and personal questions while filming the students.

A student questioned why only Baloch female students were being investigated. She said, “There have been no complaints related to drugs in the hostel. This appears to be about profiling us, not searching for narcotics,” The Balochistan Post quoted her as saying.

The students described the actions as illegal and unjust, noting that such operations fostered an atmosphere of fear and made it difficult for them to concentrate on their studies.

The Baloch Women Forum also condemned the raid. In a post on X, the forum stated, “Militarization of educational institutions has raised concerns for the security of students on campuses. Law Enforcement Agencies, after they attempted to invade Kharan’s degree college, have entered the girls’ hostel at the University of Balochistan under the guise of a narcotics search. They asked irrelevant questions like ‘Why don’t you respect the uniformed men?’ which are unrelated to narcotics. We fear that the forces’ presence in educational institutions will further instil fear in students. We urge the authorities to take this issue seriously and stop militarizing and terrorising the environment in educational institutions.”

Uzair Baloch, Information Secretary of the Baloch Students Action Committee, voiced these concerns in a post on X, “The security forces raided the Girls Hostel of University of Balochistan, Quetta in the uniform of ANF (Anti Narcotics Force) where they gathered Baloch Students and investigated them by asking irrelevant questions and personal details, while recorded video footages. Meanwhile, we are informed that a day earlier, they came in the University campus visiting every department and asking students irrelevant questions. There is an environment of fear among the students, especially female students.”

Uzair Baloch further stated, “This is a systematic and masked way to profile and harass the students. These kinds of acts are never justifiable and this must be stopped so the students can continue their education in a safe and secure environment.”