Pak court orders human rights ministry to address Baloch students' complaints
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The Islamabad High Court has asked the Ministry of Human Rights and the Interior Ministry to address the complaints lodged by Baloch students. Many students have been taunted by security personnel after the Karachi terror blast.
The Karachi terror blast on 26 April 2022 was triggered by a female suicide bomber from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The attack at the Confucius Institute at the University of Karachi left three Chinese nationals dead and one injured.
Pakistani investigators have picked up many Baloch students from various university hostels and other residential places on suspicion of being associated with BLA or the terror activity. Several students alleged that they have been harassed and assaulted.
Baloch student bodies and human rights organisations held protests demanding an immediate end to the mistreatment. Last month, the high court ordered to form of a commission to investigate racial profiling and disappearances of Baloch students in the country.
Students of Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad filed a petition at IHC demanding legal protection. Representing Baloch students, lawyer Imaan Mazari said the government did not seem to take any interest or show any concern for the students seriously. "Higher Education Commission (HEC) should send notices to all universities in Pakistan instructing them to stop harassment of Baloch students," he added.
The plea alleged that innocent students are being harassed for having Baloch ethnicity. Chief Justice Athar Minallah was hearing the petitions and asked the Ministry of Human Rights to address the issue and submit a report before June 10, the next hearing date. He said the courts will not turn a blind eye to the human rights violations in Pakistan.
The Balochistan Liberation Army is a militant organisation based in Afghanistan and became publicly known in the year 2000 after it claimed credit for a series of attacks on Pakistani officials. The terror unit claims to fight for the self-determination of the Baloch people and the separation of Balochistan from Pakistan.
Balochistan is the largest province in Pakistan and Pakistan Armed Forces are frequently attacked in the region.
