- FO ensures safety of Pakistani students present in Dhaka.
- Pakistan's Deputy Chief of Mission meets students in Chittagong.
- The safe sites include the residence of the Pakistani envoy and the high commissioner.
As ongoing deadly protests in Bangladesh widen, Pakistani students in the South Asian country have been moved to a safe location for their protection, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Saturday.
Student-led protests against labor quotas have killed at least 110 people this week, and the government has deployed the military to quell the deadly events.
For five days, police have fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse protesters, throwing bricks and setting fire to vehicles.
To ensure the safety of Pakistani students present in Dhaka and other cities in Bangladesh, the FO said they had been shifted to safe locations.
The spokesman said the Pakistani mission in Dhaka is in touch with all Pakistani students and the deputy head of the mission has met some of them present in Chittagong.
“All the students are safe,” the FO spokesman said, adding that the Pakistan High Commission has accommodated them in safe places.
“These include the High Commission building, the residence of the Pakistani ambassador and some other secure locations,” the statement added.
The demonstrations — the largest since Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term this year — have also been fueled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the population.
Faced with the death toll mounting and the failure of police and other security forces to contain the protests, Hasina's government imposed a nationwide curfew and deployed the military, who were ordered to shoot on sight if necessary.
Soldiers patrolled the deserted streets of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Saturday, setting up roadblocks during a curfew imposed in response to protests.
Internet and text messaging services have been suspended since Thursday, leaving the country isolated as police crack down on protesters defying a ban on public gatherings.
Telephone calls from abroad mostly failed to connect, while websites of Bangladesh-based media outlets failed to update and their social media accounts remained inactive.
