Watch: Islamabad in the grip of violence as Baloch students attacked at top university

Baloch students at the Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad were reportedly injured in clashes on Monday that involved other students and outsiders. Groups of students fought with sticks and machetes. Dozens of Baloch students had to be admitted to the hospital, some with life threatening injuries.

The university has been closed for an indefinite period of time. Social media updates say that even university teachers were assaulted in the violence.

With fresh clashes taking place on Tuesday morning, the government decided to deploy Rangers and police personnel inside the university campus. Social media handles report that people from other cities arrived on the campus to fan the violence.

Baloch nationalist organisations have started a fund-raising drive to provide treatment to the seriously injured students.

Meanwhile, in other cases of tension in Pakistan’s capital city, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a radical Islamist party, organised a protest in Islamabad against spiralling inflation and skyrocketing prices. It has also asked the government to provide relief to the people from inflation.

The TLP protest reportedly choked the roads leading to Islamabad. Videos show patrolling by unknown people on bikes in the capital city to ensure that shops were closed in conformity with the TLP protest against the government.

Besides capital Islamabad, the TLP protest against inflation witnessed closed markets as well as shut petrol pumps in most cities of Pakistan. The party that was formed as recently as 2015 enjoys a mass base among the Pakistani society for its support for blasphemy laws. The TLP gained clout and prominence during former prime minister Imran Khan’s time as the leader, and seeks Sharia laws for Pakistan.