SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: January 21, 2025

Attack Types: Imprisonment | Other

Institution(s):Unaffiliated

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Pakistan

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On January 21, 2025, police raided a book stall set up by the Baloch Student Action Committee (BSAC) in Gwadar, Pakistan. At least four students were arrested.

The BSAC is a student-led political group founded in 2009 by students from the Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences. The book stall was part of the Kitab Karawan, a traveling book campaign aimed at promoting education and literacy in underserved regions of Balochistan. This incident occurred as part of a series of police raids on the Kitab Karawan that took place in January and February 2025, including on January 27 (see report) and January 29 (see report).

Soon after the students set up the books on January 21, police raided the stall, citing concerns about the material included in them. They seized the books and arrested several students. Police filed a First Information Report accusing the students of blocking traffic with the book stall and of selling books with provocative material.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arrest of students and seizure of books in an apparent attempt to silence nonviolent expression — conduct that is expressly protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Pakistan is a party. States have an obligation not to interfere with the right to freedom of expression, so long as it is exercised peacefully and responsibly. Such action undermines academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1886806
https://thefridaytimes.com/22-Jan-2025/four-students-arrested-in-gwadar-for-organizing-book-stall
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/pakistan-baloch-students-action-committee-condemns-state-interference-in-book-fairs/
https://www.thebalochnews.com/2025/01/21/books-students-arrested-in-balochistan-ali-jan-maqsood/
https://tribune.com.pk/article/97895/gwadars-hot-new-contraband-books

Note: This report was drafted in part using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, with SAR staff reviewing and as necessary adjusting the content prior to publication.