Balochistan University girl students accuse army personnel of harassment and profiling

According to the report, university students alleged that uniformed anti-narcotics force officers barged into hostels and specifically targeted Baloch students for profiling. Eyewitnesses said the force asked irrelevant and personal questions while recording videos of students.

One student questioned why only Baloch female students were being checked. She said, “There have been no complaints about drugs in the hostel. It seems like it's about profiling us rather than checking for drugs,” the Balochistan Post quoted her as saying.

The students termed these actions as illegal and unjust and said that this creates an atmosphere of fear and makes it difficult for them to concentrate on their studies.

The Baloch Women Forum also condemned the raid. In a post on X, the forum said, “The militarisation of educational institutions has raised concerns for the safety of students on campuses. After the attempted invasion of Kharan Degree College, law enforcement agencies have entered the girls' hostel of Balochistan University under the guise of searching for drugs. They asked irrelevant questions like 'Why don't you respect men in uniform?', which have nothing to do with drugs. We fear that the presence of security forces in educational institutions will create more fear among students. We urge the authorities to take this issue seriously and stop militarising and terrorising the atmosphere in educational institutions.”

Uzair Baloch, information secretary of the Baloch Students Action Committee, expressed these concerns in a post on X, “Security forces in ANF (Anti Narcotics Force) uniforms raided the girls' hostel of Balochistan University, Quetta, where they gathered Baloch students and checked them by asking them irrelevant questions and personal details, while video footage was recorded. Meanwhile, we have been told that a day before, they came to the university campus and visited every department and asked irrelevant questions to the students. There is an atmosphere of fear among the students, especially the girl students.”

Uzair Baloch further added, “This is a systematic and covert way of defaming and harassing students. Such actions are never justifiable and must be stopped so that students can continue their education in a safe environment.”