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: February 11, 2026

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):University of Agriculture

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Pakistan

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On February 11, 2026, the Insaf Student Forum and the Muslim Student Federation clashed at the University of Agriculture in Peshawar.

Video footage shows physical violence between the groups, during which heavy gunfire was heard. There were no injuries reported.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about on-campus clashes impeding the functioning of a university. All members of the higher education community must refrain from violence, especially on campus. Such incidents create a chilling effect on the academic community, threatening both institutional autonomy and the personal safety of scholars. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, such incidents undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://jang.com.pk/news/1555523
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUnSl39jRZ0/
https://youtu.be/-qnO8KLbhIk?si=lBBMq0asqP1pA__g