After nearly a month of persistent demonstrations, students of Bolan Medical College (BMC) in Quetta have ended their sit-in protest. The decision followed successful negotiations with the college administration to reopen the college and its hostels. However, the students have vowed to continue their campaign against the presence of security forces in educational institutions.
The students had been protesting outside BMC’s main gate for 28 days, raising concerns over the deployment of forces on campus, the closure of hostels, and alleged profiling of students. They argued that these actions disrupted their education and jeopardized their future.
During the course of the protest, the students organized multiple rallies and even staged a sit-in in Quetta’s high-security Red Zone. They accused the Balochistan government and college administration of neglecting their grievances and using the closure of educational facilities as a pretext to militarize the institution. This, they claimed, led to harassment, profiling, and enforced disappearances of students.
The students’ demands included the immediate reopening of the college and hostels, an end to security force deployments in educational institutions, and the restoration of the academic schedule. In a press conference held before ending the sit-in, they had issued a warning to move their protest to the Red Zone if their demands were not met within three days.
The students called on the public to recognize that their struggle transcends BMC, representing a broader fight to safeguard education in Balochistan and resist the militarization of academic spaces. They reaffirmed their commitment to continue their movement through peaceful and lawful means.