“No deaths or rape of Pakistani students in Bishkek”, says Kyrgyzstan govt.

Central Asian country’s embassy in Delhi too condemns “misinformation campaign”

Delhi Crown Bureau

New Delhi: It’s 19:00 hours in New Delhi. For almost 20 hours, videos have been viral on various social media platforms showing violence between groups of students in Bishkek, the capital city of central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, claiming that locals beat up, killed and raped Pakistani nationals studying MBBS there.

Media reports also suggested that a couple of Pakistani students died, and incidents of rape occurred amid the violence that lasted several hours at a university.

However, according to the government of Kyrgyzstan, this was all a “misinformation campaign” unleashed on social media.

The government of the central Asian country appealed to the media “not to disseminate unreliable and unverified information”.

Kyrgyzstan’s foreign ministry stated that the situation was “completely under the control of law enforcement agencies” and that the safety of citizens and public order were “ensured”.

A reliable source at the Kyrgyzstan embassy in the Indian capital city also confirmed that no deaths or rape took place in Bishkek, and made an appeal to the Indian media not to believe unsubstantiated reports surfacing on social media.

An official statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic said, “From the moment information about the incident (on the night of May 18) was received, law enforcement agencies of the Kyrgyz Republic took prompt measures to detain persons involved in the event, both foreign citizens and citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic. The situation was completely under the control of law enforcement agencies. The safety of citizens and public order were ensured.”

It further stated – “There are no seriously injured people among the participants of the incident. About 15 citizens applied to medical institutions for medical check-up. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic has not received any reports on the injured foreign citizens.”

“At the same time, the Ministry urges representatives of the mass media and foreign diplomatic missions not to disseminate unreliable and unverified information,” the statement added further.

In another press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic said that destructive forces were deliberately disseminating untrue and false information about the situation in the Kyrgyz Republic in foreign mass media and social networks, especially in the territory of Pakistan.

“The situation in the city of Bishkek of the Kyrgyz Republic is calm and under full control, and all necessary measures have been taken to ensure security, maintain peace and stability. Therefore, the Ministry asks the representatives of mass media, blogger community, as well as foreign colleagues to be guided only by the official and confirmed information of the competent bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic,” added the press release.

Meanwhile, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also expressed concern over the safety and security of Indian students in Bishkek. Taking to X, Jaishankar posted, “Monitoring the welfare of Indian students in Bishkek. Situation is reportedly calm now. Strongly advise students to stay in regular touch with the Embassy.”

The Indian embassy in Bishkek stated that every possible measure was being taken to ensure Indian students’ safety. “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,” posted the Indian embassy on X.