BISHKEK: Students from Pakistan and other Asian countries are leaving Kyrgyzstan by the hundreds after an angry mob attacked their living quarters this month, although some hope to return when the situation calms down.
Hundreds of Kyrgyz young men stormed a hostel in capital Bishkek in the early hours of May 17 and attacked foreign students there because of a brawl that happened between several Kyrgyz men and foreigners a few days earlier.
Police, although present, were unable to stop the violence.
“They invaded our... hostel and it was a terrifying moment for all of us and it was the worst nightmare,” said Imran Yousaf, a pathologist at the International University Kyrgyzstan.
He said that despite the students’ attempts to barricade entrances and hide, the attackers beat up and assaulted several students including some women.
“We were very much surprised and we were so much mentally traumatized at that time when people came in,” Yousaf said. “I don’t know what kind of provocateur is responsible for that kind of hatred among them.”
The government of Pakistan has arranged extra flights leaving daily from Bishkek and many students are using the opportunity to return home, at least temporarily.
Medical schools of Kyrgyzstan have over the last few decades become popular among aspiring doctors from India, Pakistan and some other Asian and Arab countries, in part thanks to relatively affordable fees and living expenses.
The Kyrgyz government has sought to allay foreign students’ fears and held meetings with their leaders, said Yousaf, who expressed hope that those who are leaving will return in a few months. Police have detained more than a dozen of the suspected attackers.
“The government of Kyrgyzstan has taken beautiful steps,.. our student council was invited to the parliament of Kyrgyzstan, along with the President, there was a one-on-one meeting, and I hope, Inshallah (God willing), with hope in my eyes and logic on my back, that this situation will dampen in the days to come,” Yousaf said.
“I am saying to all my friends, don’t think that Kyrgyzstan is bad,” said another student, Hamza Yasin.
Pakistanis among hundreds of foreign students flee Kyrgyzstan after mob attack
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Pakistanis among hundreds of foreign students flee Kyrgyzstan after mob attack
- Hundreds of Kyrgyz men stormed a hostel in Bishkek on May 17 and attacked foreign students because of an earlier brawl
- The Pakistani government has arranged extra flights leaving daily from Bishkek and many students are using the opportunity
Pakistan says over 500 Afghan Taliban militants killed in airstrikes as fighting continues
- Clashes began last week after Afghanistan targeted Pakistani military sites along the border
- Pakistan says it struck 62 targets in Afghanistan, destroyed 237 check posts in the conflict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed 527 Afghan Taliban fighters, wounded more than 755 and struck 62 locations inside Afghanistan in air attacks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday, as fighting between the two neighbors enters the second week.
Clashes between the two countries began last week when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Last Friday, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the situation had become “open war” between Pakistan and Afghanistan as strikes and fighting escalated.
“Summary of Afghan Taliban losses: 527 killed, 755 + injured, 237 checkposts destroyed, 38 posts captured, 205 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns destroyed,” Tarar wrote on the social media platform X.
“62 locations across Afghanistan effectively targeted by air.”
The development comes after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, announced a fresh offensive against Pakistan earlier today.
Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups such as the TTP on its soil and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Islamabad to address its security challenges without blaming Kabul.
Afghanistan has called for dialogue to resolve the conflict. Pakistan, however, has rejected talks with Kabul, saying its operation “Ghazab Lil Haq” — meaning Wrath for Truth — will continue until its objectives are achieved.
Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies, including the European Union and the United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Ankara would help restore a ceasefire, as other countries that had offered to mediate have themselves been affected by the conflict in the Gulf.
