Violent protests in Bangladesh, all Pakistani students safe: Foreign Office

The Foreign Office of Pakistan said on Saturday that Bangladesh During the violent protests, Pakistani students are safe and the Pakistan High Commission is in touch with the students.

In response to questions, the Foreign Office in Islamabad said that the Pakistani mission in Dhaka has contacted all the students, the Deputy Head of Mission has also met the students in Chittagong and all the students are fine.

According to the Foreign Office: ‘Pakistani High Commission has provided safe places to the students including the High Commission, ambassador’s residence and other safe places.’

At least 114 people have been killed in Bangladesh this week in student-led protests once morest government job quotas, according to the British news agency Reuters. Sheikh Hasina Wajid His 15-year tenure in power is a big challenge for him.

Troops patrolled deserted streets in the capital Dhaka on Saturday during a curfew as the government ordered all offices and institutions to remain closed for two days.

At least four people were killed during clashes in some areas of the protest capital, Dhaka, on Saturday, according to hospital figures.

An AFP journalist in Dhaka saw police firing directly at protesters.

According to the journalist, at least one person was injured among the thousands of people present for the demonstration once morest curfew violation in the residential area of ​​Rampura.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s government has declared a ‘public holiday’ on Sunday and Monday in view of the situation in the country and allowed only emergency services to operate.

Earlier, the authorities had closed universities and colleges from Wednesday.

Internet and text message services have been suspended in Bangladesh since Thursday, cutting off the country’s connectivity as police crackdown on protesters defying a ban on public gatherings.

Telephone calls abroad mostly failed to connect, while the websites of Bangladesh-based media houses were not updated and their social media accounts remained inactive.

“Cutting a country of regarding 170 million people off the Internet is a drastic step we’ve taken since the 2011 Egyptian revolution,” said John Hedman, chief scientist of the Networking and Cybersecurity Division at USC Viterbi’s Information Sciences Institute. Haven’t seen since.’

Many people were unable to pay their electricity meters due to the internet outage, which left them without electricity.

According to hospitals across Bangladesh, thousands of people have been injured in these clashes. Dhaka Medical College Hospital received 27 bodies between 5pm and 7pm on Friday.

Earlier, police in Dhaka took the drastic step of banning all public gatherings for a day in an attempt to prevent further violence.

Police chief Habib-ur-Rehman told AFP: ‘We have banned all rallies, processions and public gatherings in Dhaka.’ which was necessary to ensure ‘public safety’.

However, the clashes between the police and the protesters around this big city of 20 million people might not stop despite the shutdown of the internet to prevent the holding of the rallies.

Sarwar Tushar, a marcher in Dhaka who suffered minor injuries at the hands of police, told AFP: ‘Our protest will continue. We want immediate resignation of Sheikh Hasina. This government is responsible for these deaths.’

“Students stormed a prison in central Bangladesh’s Narsingdi district before setting it on fire and freeing prisoners,” a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. I don’t know the number of prisoners but it must be in the hundreds.’

A scene of clashes between students protesting once morest the quota system in government jobs and the police in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on July 18, 2024. The government of Bangladesh has imposed a curfew in the country following the protests escalated (AFP).

Attacks on students ‘appalling and unacceptable’: UN

At least 52 people were killed in the capital on Friday, according to a list prepared by the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, available to AFP.

According to details given to AFP by hospital staff, more than half of the deaths so far this week have been caused by police firing.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk said the attacks on the students were “appalling and unacceptable”.

He said in a statement: ‘There must be an impartial, prompt and comprehensive investigation into these attacks and those responsible must be held accountable.’

This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).

Earlier, the Dhaka Police Force said that protesters set fire to several police and government offices, vandalized them and carried out “damaging activities” on Thursday.

They include Bangladesh Television’s Dhaka headquarters, which has been offline since hundreds of angry students stormed the premises and set fire to a building.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Farooq Hussain told AFP that authorities had arrested Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, a senior leader of the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The protests, which have taken place almost daily this month, have called for an end to the quota system, under which more than half of civil service posts are reserved for certain groups.

Critics say the scheme will benefit the children of pro-government groups that support 76-year-old Hasina Wajid. Hasina Wajid has ruled the country since 2009 and won a fourth consecutive term in elections in January without real opposition.

Hasina Wajid’s government is accused by human rights groups of abusing state institutions to strengthen its grip on power and suppress dissent, including the ostracism of opposition activists. Court murders are also included.

A female student speaks during a protest once morest the quota system and demand for a merit-based job system in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 14, 2024 (AFP)

His administration also ordered schools and universities to close indefinitely this week.

Ali Riaz, professor of politics at Illinois State University, told AFP that this is the result of years of growing discontent among the youth population. The job quota has become a symbol of a rigged system, which the government has created once morest them.’

Earlier this week, Hasina Wajid, in an address to the nation on the state broadcaster, which is now offline, called for peace, but students say they are determined to continue protesting.

Clashes took place on Thursday in almost half of Bangladesh’s 64 districts, Independent Television reported.

London-based watchdog NetBlocks said on Friday that a ‘nationwide’ internet shutdown was still in effect a day following it came into force.

In a statement on social media platform X, the agency said, “Data shows that connectivity remains at 10 percent of normal levels, raising concerns regarding public safety as the country is Or very little news comes out.’