One Pak student among 14 foreigners injured Bishkek extremist attacks: envoy

Pakistan Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Hasan Zaigham said one Pak student among 14 foreigners sustained injuries as they came under an attack by local extremists last night.

In a video message, the Pakistani ambassador cited the Kyrgyz government and said the injured Pakistani is identified as Shahzeb.

Hasan Zaigham said he visited Shahzaib and enquired after him at the hospital. The envoy said the injured student was out of danger.

He stressed said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Day directed the mission to provide the Pak students with all-out support.

The envoy's message comes after reports suggested  Pakistani students in Bishkek were among several foreigners who came under the mob attack last night.

The incident invited the envoy’s advice for students to stay indoors.

"In view of mob violence around student hostels in Bishkek, the embassy strongly advise all Pakistani students in Bishkek to stay indoors until the situation return to normal," Pakistan's Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Hasan Zaigham wrote on X, formerly Twitter, early on Saturday.

"We are liaising with the local law enforcement authorities to ensure safety of our student fraternity," he added.

Kyrgyz government has confirmed that there is no death of Pakistani student in the recent mob violences against international students.
Moreover, Kygyz Ministry of Internal Affairs has also issued press releases stating that the situation is under control.

— Pakistan Embassy Kyrgyzstan (@PakinKyrgyzstan) May 18, 2024

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the embassy is in contact with Kyrgyz authorities. “The protection of Pakistanis is of utmost importance,”

Ms Baloch said the embassy has responded to hundreds of queries from distressed students and their families.

"There have been a number of incidents of mob violence against foreign students in Bishkek since last evening. According to the Kyrgyz press, the matter boiled over yesterday due to sharing online of videos of a fight between Kyrgyz students and medical students from Egypt on 13th of May," the Pakistani embassy in Bishkek said in a statement.

"So far, a few hostels of medical universities in Bishkek and private residences of international students including Pakistanis have been attacked. The hostels are inhabited by students from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh," it said.

"There have been reports of light injuries to a number of students from Pakistan. Despite social media posts about alleged death and rape of Pakistani students, so far, we have not received any confirmed report," the statement added.

“Pakistani female students are being harassed. Violence has occurred in the hostels, targeting both male and female students. Kyrgyz students are attacking foreign students across Bishkek,” said one Pakistani student.

PM Shehbaz Sharif phoned the Pakistani ambassador and asked him to visit the students. He asked the ambassador to keep in constant contact with the parents of the students.

Shehbaz PM said he was personally monitoring the situation and that Pakistani students would not be left alone.

The ambassador briefed the PM about the situation and said that no Pakistani was killed in the incident.

The envoy also shared helpline numbers +996555554476 and +996507567667, asking the students to call in case of emergency.

As the issue made headlines, social media was abuzz with bogus stories of rape and death of Pak students in Bishkek.

Rejecting such stories, the embassy said:  “There have been reports of light injuries to a number of students from Pakistan. Despite social media posts about alleged death and rape of Pakistani students, so far, we have not received any confirmed report.

Barrister Saif, KP government information advisor, said that there are reports of death of three Pakistani students in Kyrgyzstan. According to Saif, there are 10,000 Pakistanis studying in Kyrgyzstan and urged the government to ensure their protection.

In a viral social media video, three students appear and one of them introducing himself as Mohammad Walid says that after a fight between locals and Egyptian students mobs attacked international students.

Walid said six students had been killed, though he did not specify their nationalities. He said police were not helping international students.

According to some media reports, the attackers forcefully entered the hostels, broke the doors of the rooms and tortured and injured several students.