On June 10, 2024, Sadia Baloch (22), a third-year law student at Punjab University, along with her fellow members of the Baloch Student Council, led a rally and made a speech on the campus in protest against the enforced disappearance of Saeed Baloch and his brother, both of whom are ethnic Baloch and students of the PU.

On August 12, 2024, she took to Instagram, sharing a picture of her suspension letter issued by the Punjab University, saying, “Punjab University, Lahore has issued my suspension orders applying allegations that I, the ‘miscreant student’, have used the university platform to pollute students’ minds against the state institutions. And that my conduct has badly injured the reputation and integrity of the educational institute.”

Ms. Baloch learned about her suspension notice not only two months after the incident but also through unofficial channels. It was actually one of her acquaintances who informed her about it.

This prompted her to visit the admission office of the university to confirm if any such notice had indeed been issued. Initially, the administration denied it but after she insisted, they eventually showed her the suspension orders signed by the registrar.

“It was not just a warning letter or a charge sheet but a suspension letter in itself,” she says and claims that contrary to the notification, which asserts the rally was illegal, Chief Security Officer (CSO), Col Ubaid(r) and the administration were informed about it and they had granted permission beforehand.

Allegations in the notification

The suspension letter, circulating on the internet, which was officially issued by PU Registrar Dr Ahmad Aslam on the instructions of Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Mahmood and Chief Security Officer Col Ubaid Aslam(retired), in breach of the University of Punjab Act 1973.

According to the notification the students belonging to Balochistan conducted an illegal rally in the University premises without permission. During this rally, Sadia Baloch used very objectionable and propagative words against government institutions asserting that she was using university platform in order to pollute other students’ mind.

Official response of PU

Lok Sujag reached out to Dr Khurram Shahzad, the public relations officer of the PU, to gain further insight into the matter. Although he refused to speak, instead an updated notice was sent, stating that the student had only been suspended for 15 days and the admission had been reinstated before the suspension, allowing her to attend the remaining classes and take her exams.

However, her degree will only be awarded after the final decision of the disciplinary committee while the student remains under observation.

Ms Baloch later informed us that she never received her roll number slip at first, allegedly due to her so-called miscreant behaviour even though the slips had been issued to all other students expected to appear in the exams starting on Aug 22. After some struggles, she managed to retrieve her roll number slip and is now sitting for her final examinations.

The legal battle

Sadia, frustrated and discouraged, initiated legal action against the PU before the Lahore High Court through advocate Asad Jamal. In the petition, it was asserted by Ms Baloch’s lawyer that the VC (Prof Khalid Mahmood) and the Chief Security Officer had no authority to suspend the student on any charges whatsoever. Such powers can only be exercised while following due process by the disciplinary committee, that too in a prescribed amount of time.

The petition also mentions that the head of security’s practice of surveillance of students in the name of ‘under observation’ was a violation of various articles of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The PU administration has issued Sadia Baloch a second notice to reinstate her but she is not satisfied with it, suggesting that the administration only did so because they discovered she was pursuing the matter legally.

Systemic pattern of ethnic targeting

Ms Baloch tells Lok Sujag that the university’s action undermines students’ right to peacefully protest and stand up for their political rights guaranteed by the constitution.

She argues that it is now a common practice at the educational institutions to unlawfully use the authority to intimidate students for exercising their rights.

She alleges that her institute is using her case as an example to intimidate other students, particularly the Baloch students.

“Institutions are mimicking the state’s tactics by first leveling charges against students without due process and concealing these charges from them.”

Highlighting the biased approach of the university, she alleges that the administration selectively targets certain students on ethnic grounds while turning a blind eye to violent activities of a specific student union which has a long history of disciplinary violations.

The university laws are only enforced against those from politically marginalised backgrounds, she complains.

In 2018, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) showed grave concern over the targeting of Baloch and Pashtun students because of their ethnic identities by the University administration. Sadia backs this by asserting that the Pakistani education institutes are designed to obstruct justice, recognition and rights to students.

Sadia Baloch’s case is not an isolated incident but it’s a part of a recurring pattern. She cites the Bebagr case, where Bebagr Imdad, a student from NUML, was visiting his cousin at the PU before Eid but was detained by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) with the help of campus security for a week.

Bebagr was visiting the PU to meet his cousin and the two had plans to leave together for their hometown for Eid.

On Oct 23, 2023, a BS Education student, Farid Baloch, also a member of PU Baloch Council, was allegedly picked up by enforcement agencies in front of the PU main entrance by two policemen and others in civvies.
The university security guards did not intervene as they put the student in a private vehicle.

When asked if she would discontinue her political activism out of fear that it might affect her education, Ms Baloch firmly asserts that she would continue speaking out against ethnic marginalization, being a voice for the Baloch students, and continue raising their issues so the masses can know about them.

She expresses no hesitation in saying that she is well within her constitutional rights to amplify the voices of the marginalised.