Protest erupts at Balochistan University over alleged harassment of students by varsity officials

Published
8
Students marched in protest inside the Balochistan Univeristy campus, carrying placards inscribed with slogans such as  "Punish the accused", " No to harassment", "We want justice". — DawnNewsTV
Students marched in protest inside the Balochistan Univeristy campus, carrying placards inscribed with slogans such as "Punish the accused", " No to harassment", "We want justice". — DawnNewsTV

Various students organisations staged demonstrations inside Balochistan University on Tuesday, in protest over the harassment scandal unearthed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) a day earlier.

The students marched inside the campus to mount pressure on the authorities to punish the culprits allegedly involved in the harassment of female and male students.

The case had come to light about a month ago when the Balochistan High Court (BHC) directed the FIA to investigate reports of students being harassed at the varsity.

The FIA, which has been probing the case for several weeks now, discovered that male and female students were being harassed through "objectionable" videos of them. These videos were recorded using at least six cameras that were secretly installed at various spots in the university's Quetta campus, in addition to the already existing official CCTV cameras.

"This is not acceptable; we cannot compromise on our dignity," Khalid Baloch, the central office-bearer of Baloch Students Organisation said.

The protesters lamented that the harassment scandal has severely affected the atmosphere of education in the province in general and at Balochistan University in particular.

They carried placards inscribed with slogans such as "Punish the accused", " No to harassment", "We want justice", etc, during the protest demonstration.

"This harassment was going on for a long time in the university," Kabeer Afghan, the central office-bearer of Pashtoonkhwa Students Organisation said.

The students, chanting slogans against the university administration, demanded a comprehensive probe into the matter. They also demanded the removal of the vice chancellor and other high-ups.

"Harassment cases should be probed in all three major universities of Quetta," Dawood Shah, the president of Insaf Students Federation, demanded at a press conference at the Quetta Press Club held later in the day. He said the government must act and act quickly to bring the perpetrators to book so that such incidents could be avoided in future.

Reacting to the scandal, Balochistan University Vice-Chancellor Dr Javed Iqbal in a video clip obtained by DawnNewsTV said: "We will cooperate with FIA in exposing the elements involved in the scandal."

He dispelled the impression that the FIA had made any arrest from the university.

Opinion

Editorial

Muddled hierarchy
Updated 15 Nov, 2026

Muddled hierarchy

The jurisdiction of the two courts and a mechanism for settling disputes between them should be spelt out in law, not left to judges to fight over.
Growing crisis
Updated 15 Nov, 2026

Growing crisis

Calling population growth a national emergency is easy. Ensuring that the response reaches the people who need it is the real challenge.
Organised rackets
15 Nov, 2026

Organised rackets

ON the International Day against Transnational Organised Crime, observed today, Pakistan finds itself in a tight...
Referendum talk
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Referendum talk

Unless the PPP is deliberately using Sindh as a bargaining chip, it should issue a clarification with a clear, consistent position on new administrative units, not one tailored to protect its home turf.
Mineral wealth
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Mineral wealth

Minerals should not be presented as a solution to Pakistan’s long-term economic difficulties. The aim should be to build an industrial base rather than export raw materials.
Late diagnosis
14 Nov, 2026

Late diagnosis

AS we mark World Diabetes Day today, Pakistan faces a troubling question: how many people are living with diabetes...