Terror in Classroom: Masked Gunmen Storm Nushki Girls’ College, 3 Injured
Masked gunmen storm a girls' degree college in Nushki, Balochistan, injuring three students and sparking fears over campus safety.
A wave of fear has gripped the Nushki district of Balochistan after armed, masked men launched a violent raid on a girls’ degree college, leaving three female students injured. The brazen attack has once again ignited a fierce debate over the safety of educational institutions and the targeted obstruction of education for women in the region.
The Raid: Chaos and Violence
According to reports from the college administration, three gunmen stormed the campus with a clear intent to cause disruption. The attackers first moved to disable the college's security infrastructure by damaging surveillance cameras before vandalising the principal’s office. The situation escalated rapidly when the gunmen opened fire on the students.
Three students—identified as Mehmoona, Maryam, and Rukhsana—sustained injuries during the shooting. They were rushed to the Mir Gul Khan Naseer Teaching Hospital for emergency care. While two are receiving treatment, Rukhsana’s condition was reported as serious, necessitating her transfer to a facility in Quetta for specialized medical attention.
A Pattern of Targeting Education
While the specific motive behind this particular attack remains unclear, the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) has condemned the incident as part of a wider, more sinister trend. The BSAC warned that the repeated targeting of schools is designed to instill terror among the youth and undermine the educational fabric of the region.
A spokesperson for the BSAC highlighted that this violence is not isolated to students; teachers and professors have also been targeted in previous incidents. BSAC chairman Uzair Baloch argued that these attacks are deliberate attempts to obstruct education in Balochistan.
Questions Over Security
The ease with which the attackers entered and exited the premises has raised serious questions. Journalist Bahot Baloch described the event as an alleged conspiracy to prevent Baloch women from accessing education. He specifically questioned how the gunmen managed to escape undetected, given that security installations are reportedly located in close proximity to the college.
A History of Intimidation
This incident is the latest in a series of attacks on learning centers in the area. Recently, masked gunmen also targeted the Ruzhn School in the Minaz area of Buleda, where they fired upon surveillance cameras. School authorities have confirmed that several other institutions in the region have faced similar threats.
The struggle for education in Balochistan has long been fraught with danger:
- 2014 Panjgur Incident: A religious group reportedly threatened private schools, demanding they either remove female students or shut down entirely.
- Systemic Closures: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has previously documented prolonged school closures and a sharp decline in attendance following such intimidation tactics.
- Violence Against Educators: Baloch rights organisations have reported a harrowing pattern of abductions and killings of teachers across the region.
As the community reels from the Nushki attack, the BSAC and other rights advocates are demanding immediate justice for the injured students and strict accountability for those responsible for turning classrooms into battlezones.