The Indian Embassy on Saturday issued an advisory for the Indian students studying in Kyrgyzstan to "stay indoors" as the capital city Bishkek has been marred with incidents of mob violence against international students. The Embassy said that the situation currently is calm but urged the students to stay indoors and get in touch in case of any issues.
In a social media post on X, the Embassy said: "We are in touch with our students. The situation is presently calm but students are advised to stay indoors for the moment and get in touch with the Embassy in case of any issue. Our 24×7 contact number is 0555710041."
A similar advisory was issued by Pakistan's ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Hasan Zaigham who urged students to "stay indoors" until the situation returns to normal.
In a Facebook post, Pakistan Embassy said a few hostels of medical universities in Bishkek and private residences of international students from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan have been attacked. "So far, the violence appears to be directed against all foreign students and not specific to Pakistanis," it said.
"So far, a few hostels of medical universities in Bishkek and private residences of international students including Pakistanis have been attacked. The hostels are inhabited by students from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. There have been reports of light injuries to a number of students from Pakistan," it added.
Citing Kyrgyz media, the Pakistani Embassy said that the matter escalated on Friday after videos of a fight between Kyrgyz and Egyptian medical students, which occurred on May 13, went viral online.
The Embassy also said it has not received any confirmed reports of death and rape of Pakistani students despite the allegations made on social media.