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FM AMCONSUL KARACHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0576
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 0044
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0174
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0240
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1755
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RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 4438
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L KARACHI 000472 
 
USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY 
 
CIA WASHDC PRIORITY 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2018 
TAGS: SOCI PTER PK
SUBJECT: BALOCHISTAN - ETHNIC VIOLENCE FORCES CLOSURE OF 
UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGES IN QUETTA 
 
Classified By: Classified by Consul General Kay Anske for reasons 1.4 b 
 and d. 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary:  As a result of August 6 violence between 
Baloch and Pashtun student groups at three educational 
institutions in Quetta, the Balochistan Provincial Minister 
of Education ordered the closure of one university for five 
days and all colleges in the city until August 10.  This was 
the first major dispute between the two ethnic groups since 
¶2000.  Leaders of both ethnic student groups told Post that 
GOP intelligence agencies incited the recent violence as a 
means of diverting public support for a growing Baloch 
nationalist movement.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (C)  Balochistan Minister of Education Shafiq Ahmed told 
Post on August 7 that he had ordered Balochistan University 
to close for five days and all colleges (roughly equivalent 
to junior colleges) in the city to close for three days, 
effective August 7.  He took this action after clashes 
between members of the Baloch Students Organization-Azad 
(BSOA) and the Pakhtoonkhwa Students Organization (PSO) left 
22 students injured, five seriously.  Baloch and Pashtun 
student organizations have had an often violent rivalry in 
the past, but this was the first such major incident since 
¶2000.  Shafiq predicted more violence in the future due to 
escalated tensions between the ethnic groups. 
 
¶3.  (C)  The incident started on August 6 with a dispute 
between BSOA and PSO members over dormitory room allocation 
at Balochistan University in Quetta.  Fighting quickly spread 
to include BSOA and PSO units at Government Degree College 
and Bolan Medical College, both also located in the 
provincial capital.  The violence began in early afternoon 
and lasted for about two hours.  Police, who were stationed 
at the campuses of all of the involved educational 
institutions, did not intervene, according to some student 
leaders. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Habib Jalib, Secretary General of the Balochistan 
National Party (BNP-Mengal), told Post that he held the GOP 
responsible for creating tensions between the two ethnic 
groups.  PSO President Ahmed Jan went further and accused the 
GOP of active involvement in the melee.  He claimed that 
outside groups joined in the attacks on Pashtun students with 
the support of government "agencies," such as the 
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). 
 
¶5.  (C)  BSOA President Sana Baloch declared that his 
organization was fighting to avenge a PSO attack on two of 
its members in July and denied that his group was responsible 
for any injuries in the current spate of violence.  He 
claimed that three BSOA students had later been arrested by 
police as a result of a complaint filed by PSO members. 
 
¶6.  (C)  Comment:  Both BSOA and PSO leaders told Post that 
they believed the GOP was attempting to divert unified public 
support for the nationalist movement by exacerbating ethnic 
tensions between Pashtuns and Baloch.  An ongoing ethnic 
conflict would also give the GOP ample reason to increase its 
military presence in the province, further hampering 
nationalist activities. 
Anske