Three Islamabad universities 'shut over security concerns'

• Security agencies conduct search op in Islamabad suburbs.
• Bahria, Air, National Defence universities issued directives for closure.
• Security beefed up in federal capital amid elections, sit-ins.

ISLAMABAD: Three universities in Islamabad have been shut for an indefinite period over security concerns, sources within university administrations told Geo News on Monday.

The development came after security agencies conducted a search operation in the suburbs of Islamabad late Sunday.

The administrations of Bahria, Air and National Defence Universities issued directives for the closure, they added.

The students were informed about the indefinite closure late at night by the university administration.

As per the sources, the final examinations of university students have also been affected due to the sudden closure.

Meanwhile, police sources said security is already beefed up in the federal capital due to the upcoming elections and ongoing sit-ins by Baloch protesters at the press club.

A day earlier, addressing a press conference in Quetta, Balochistan Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai rebuked the Baloch demonstrators holding a sit-in protest against enforced disappearances in Islamabad. 

"Those who were being labelled as missing persons were terrorists [and] killed in Iran," he claimed while referring to Pakistan's strikes inside Iran.

The provincial information minister had said Baloch protesters were staging the sit-in in Islamabad for ulterior motives.

“They could disturb the law and order situation. In such a situation, it becomes impossible to stop a terror incident. Those wearing masks in the sit-in can be terrorists of banned outfits,” he added.

In 2023, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1463 injuries from as many as 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations.

According to Annual Security Report released by Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) released last month includes nearly 1000 fatalities among civilians and security forces personnel.

The overall fatalities including those of outlaws mark a record 6-year high, exceeding the 2018 level and highest since 2017. Moreover, the country saw a surge in violence for the third consecutive year with an uptick recorded each year beginning from 2021.