Pakistani students residing in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, encountered a distressing ordeal late Friday night, as revealed by Pakistani officials on Saturday.
While there were no reported casualties, the incident has been characterized as deeply troubling by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
As per the Pakistani Embassy in Bishkek, the confrontation ensued following a previous altercation between foreign students, including Pakistanis, and Egyptian nationals. This clash triggered a series of assaults by locals targeting foreign students in what has been described by the Kyrgyz government as a protest against foreigners. Kyrgyz media outlet 24.kg condemned the violence, attributing it to the spread of false information on social media.
Reports indicate that several hostels accommodating international students, including those from Pakistan, became targets of the violence. Despite widespread rumors on social media, the embassy clarified that no Pakistani students had been confirmed dead or subjected to assault.
The Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, provided an update stating that five Pakistani students sustained injuries, with one suffering a jaw injury.
Expressing grave concern, Foreign Minister Dar assured that efforts were underway to ensure the safety of Pakistani students, with instructions given to the Pakistani Ambassador in Kyrgyzstan to extend full support to them.
Hasan Zaigham, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, urged all Pakistani nationals in Bishkek to stay indoors until the situation stabilizes. He assured ongoing liaison with local authorities and provided emergency helpline numbers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif affirmed continuous monitoring of the situation, directing the embassy to provide necessary assistance to affected students.
The Pakistani Embassy emphasized its commitment to facilitating Pakistani students and urged them to reach out through emergency helpline numbers. Additionally, the Charge d’affaires of the Kyrgyz Embassy was summoned to the Pakistani Foreign Office to express concerns and demand adequate measures for the safety of Pakistani citizens.
Multiple social media posts documented violence at hostels housing foreign students, prompting appeals for assistance. The Indian Embassy in Bishkek also cautioned its students to remain indoors.
The root cause of the violence stemmed from a brawl between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students, escalating tensions and leading to attacks on various hostels accommodating foreign students, including those from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. The Pakistani Embassy emphasized that the violence seemed indiscriminate, targeting all foreign students rather than specific nationalities.
