Pakistani students studying in Bangladesh have been relocated to safety as the fatal demonstrations there have grown, an official from the Foreign Office said on Saturday.
At least 110 people have died this week as a result of student-led demonstrations against the employment quota; the government has dispatched the army to put an end to the bloodshed.
For a duration of five days, law enforcement officials have dispersed demonstrators who are hurling bricks and setting cars on fire by using tear gas, rubber bullets, and sound grenades.
The FO added that the Pakistani students in Dhaka and other Bangladeshi cities were safe since they had been moved to safe places.
The spokesperson stated that all Pakistani students are in communication with Pakistan’s mission in Dhaka, and the deputy head of the mission has met some of the students who are now in Chitagong.
The FO spokesperson stated, “All students are safe,” and added that they had been housed at safe locations by the Pakistani High Commission.
“These include the high commission building, the Pakistani ambassador’s home, and some other safe places,” the statement continued.
A major contributing factor to the protests, which have grown since Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected for a fourth term this year, is the high rate of unemployment among the country’s youth, who account for around 20% of the population.
Hasina’s administration enforced a nationwide curfew and dispatched the military, who were instructed to fire on sight if necessary, as the death toll continued to rise and police and other security forces failed to quell the demonstrations.
On Saturday, soldiers manned barricades and patrolled the desolate streets of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, during a curfew imposed in reaction to the demonstrations.
Since Thursday, internet and text messaging services have been unavailable, shutting off the country while law enforcement cracked down on demonstrators who disobeyed a prohibition on public meetings.
Most international phone calls were dropped, and media organizations with headquarters in Bangladesh had unupdated websites and inactive social media profiles.
