SAHIWAL: Participants in the Baloch students’ long march were welcomed by the civil society and rights organisations at the entrance to Sahiwal city on Thursday afternoon.

The members of Baloch Student Council of the Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan, are marching from Multan to Islamabad to press for their demands, including restoration of their scholarships and funds allocated by the Punjab government for Baloch students studying in public universities of Punjab.

Arsalan Baloch, the president of Baloch Student Council at the BZU, told Dawn at Sahiwal Bypass, they had staged a 40-day sit-in at BZU, Multan but the Punjab government did not pay heed to their demands and they decided to launch a long march towards Islamabad via Lahore. Most of the marchers belong to BS and Masters’ degree programmes at the BZU.

Earlier, the marchers stayed at a roadside hotel near Harappa for the night before restarting their march in the morning. They crossed the Pakpattan Chowk, View Hotel and moved from inside the city.

A police vehicle was moving along the marchers while the students had their own vehicle carrying their sleeping bags and food items.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2020