ISLAMABAD: A large number of people gathered outside the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Islamabad on Saturday, and stated protest demonstration against the mob attack on Pakistani students in Bishkek. The protesters strongly denounced the mob violence against international students, including Pakistani students in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek.
Additional police contingents reached the area to ensure protection of diplomats. The police have installed barbed wire fencing around the embassy.
The protesters condemned the violence against Pakistani students in Kyrgyzstan. “Our children are being attacked in Kyrgyzstan,” a protester in Islamabad stated. Meanwhile, there were reports of similar protests in Karachi. The protesters demanded accountability and justice for the targeted Pakistani students.
On the night of May 17-18, a large of mob attackers stormed hostels of international students, including Pakistani students. According to media reports, five Pakistani students sustained injuries during the mob violence. People on social media are calling for gatherings at the embassy to protest violence against foreign students in Bishkek.
Authorities have deployed additional security in the vicinity of the Kyrgyz embassy Islamabad as a precautionary measure.
Kyrgyz police said they had mobilized forces in Bishkek yesterday to quell the violence, in which hundreds of Kyrgyz men attacked buildings housing foreign students, including Pakistanis.
According to Pakistan’s Embassy in Bishkek, foreign students living in the Kyrgyz capital, including those from Pakistan, were attacked by locals in the aftermath of their brawl with Egyptian nationals on May 13. It is not clear what caused the altercation.
The Pakistani embassy in Bishkek reported there were no deaths. Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said five Pakistanis were injured, four of whom were discharged, while one was receiving treatment for a jaw injury.
The violence was described by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as “extremely concerning”.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch shared in an update on X that five Pakistanis had been injured, one of whom suffered a jaw injury.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the reports of mob violence against Pakistani students in Bishkek were “extremely concerning”.
“We have established contact with the Kyrgyz authorities to ensure the protection of Pakistani students,” he said in a post on X. “I have instructed our Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan to fully facilitate them.”
