The Pakistani students stuck in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan following the violent clashes with a local mob on Friday night have narrated an ordeal of pain, suffering, helplessness, and a lack of support from the Pakistani embassy.
Reports from students on the ground indicate that the situation is dire, with many expressing fear for their safety and demanding their safe evacuation from the country.
One of the students recounted that there was a clash between local and foreign students in Kyrgyzstan on May 16. The next day, the locals started attacking Pakistanis, evicting them from their hostels, apartments, and private residences.
He further said that no foreigner was being spared, and anybody and everybody was being targeted. The police are also helpless in front of the local people, who are roaming around on the streets and chasing the Pakistani students.
“We are scared, and sitting inside our homes with lights off and windows shut,” he stated.
We appeal to the Pakistani government to take strict action against them
— Hanzla Malik (@hanzla2185) May 18, 2024
The ambassador should be summoned to the foreign office and these hooligans should be taught a good lesson
All kind of relations with them should be broken and their students should be given safety#Bishkek pic.twitter.com/3gWWx9cNnS
Shehryar Haider, a Pakistani student in Bishkek and a resident of Jatoi, appealed to the government for help. “All the Pakistani students, including me, are literally imprisoned in our hostels. There are repeated attacks on hostels to kill people,” he insisted.
Also Read: 14 Pakistanis among dozens of foreign students injured in Kyrgyzstan mob attack
He added that the assailants are on a looting spree and Pakistani female students are being harassed. “The Pakistani embassy is not helping us. The government should help us,” Haider pleaded.
Jhang-resident Tehreem Nasir is also among those stuck in Bishkek along with her classmates. She said they have all locked themselves in their hostels.
“Attacks are being carried out in the form of mobs,” Tehreem said in a video message. She added that her parents, living in Mohalla Sultanwala in Jhang, were seriously worried.
Video message of Ambassador Hasan Zaigham to the Pakistani community.https://t.co/isxcNSRIDk
— Pakistan Embassy Kyrgyzstan (@PakinKyrgyzstan) May 18, 2024
Tehreem’s parents have appealed to the government for safe evacuation of the Pakistani students. “The embassy should ensure immediate assistance. Three other female students of Jhang are also trapped in Bishkek,” Tehreem’s father, Rana Nasir, said.
He added that they were repeatedly contacting the Pakistani embassy, but could not get through.
Another student says Pakistani students in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, are facing severe harassment and threats amid rising local tensions. One more Pakistani student shared a harrowing account, stating, "We are in a lot of trouble. No one is helping. We are in great danger. The students have been harassed, and threats are being made that we will not be spared. We do not know what will happen to us."
Also Read: Kyrgyz envoy summoned to FO for démarche over Bishkek violence
Despite reassurances from the government that the situation is under control, the student vehemently disagreed, saying, "The government is saying everything is normal, but the situation is not normal. No one is picking up the phone at the Pakistani embassy."
She pleaded for their return to Pakistan. She recalled that the locals had a clash with Egyptian nationals, but many people entered their hostel, broke the door locks, and injured the male students.
Reportedly, more than 50 students belonging to Pakpattan are stuck in Bishkek due to the tensions in Kyrgyzstan. Among them is Dr Waleed.
His father said they had spoken to Waleed, who said he was hiding somewhere with other Pakistani fellows. “Our children are craving food and drink,” the father said.
The mother of another female student said everything was normal until 9pm on Friday, when suddenly a mob attacked. She added that the children spent the entire night in fear.
“The children should be evacuated safely from Kyrgyzstan. Our daughter is currently hiding in a flat with three other girls,” the mother stressed.
