3 female students shot at girls' college in Balochistan's Nushki
Synopsis
Armed men stormed a girls' college in Nushki, Balochistan, on Tuesday — disabling cameras, ransacking the principal's office, then opening fire on students. Three young women were shot, one critically. Rights groups are calling it a targeted assault on female education, and pointing to the same day's forced closure of a nearby school as evidence of coordinated intimidation.
Key Takeaways
Three female students — Mehmoona , Maryam , and Rukhsana — were shot inside Girls Degree College in Nushki, Balochistan on 28 October 2026 .
One of the three is reportedly in critical condition ; all were taken to Mir Gul Khan Naseer Teaching Hospital .
The attackers, numbering three armed men , disabled CCTV cameras and vandalised the principal's office before firing.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) also cited the forced closure of Vision Public School in Qadir Abad on the same day by armed men.
Rights bodies including BSAC , BYC , BVJ , and BWF condemned the attack and held Pakistani authorities responsible for the security failure.
No arrests had been announced as of the time of reporting, with perpetrators still at large.
At least three female students were injured on Tuesday, 28 October 2026, after masked gunmen opened fire inside the Girls Degree College in Nushki district, Balochistan, according to the college administration. One of the three victims is reportedly in critical condition, underscoring the severity of what rights groups have called a targeted assault on female education.
How the Attack Unfolded
According to the college administration, three armed men stormed the campus premises, systematically disabled surveillance cameras, and vandalised the principal's office before opening fire on students. The deliberate destruction of CCTV equipment before the shooting suggests a degree of premeditation, according to reports.
The injured students were identified as Mehmoona and Maryam, both from Qaziabad, and Rukhsana from the Killi Mengal region of Balochistan. All three were transferred to Mir Gul Khan Naseer Teaching Hospital in Nushki for medical treatment, according to The Balochistan Post.
Widespread Condemnation From Rights Groups
The attack drew an immediate wave of condemnation from student organisations and human rights bodies across Balochistan. The Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) said educational institutions were once again being targeted, questioning the security apparatus around schools and colleges in the province.
'Students, whether female or male, are in a state of uncertainty about their safety and security. Previously, teachers and professors were targeted, and now students are being targeted, which is seriously intimidating the educational environment,' the BSAC stated, adding that quality education was only possible in a 'safe and friendly environment where students can enjoy knowledge and education without fear and uncertainty.'
The human rights body Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) held Pakistani authorities fully responsible for the attack and linked it to a separate incident — the forced closure of Vision Public School in the Qadir Abad area by armed men who allegedly threatened the administration against reopening. 'The state fears an educated Baloch woman more than anything else. She reads, she asks questions, she speaks at gatherings, and she leads marches. That is why the bullets were aimed at a girls' college,' the BYC stated.
Security Failure in a Militarised Zone
The Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) highlighted a significant contradiction: Nushki has reportedly been under a near-curfew, military-enforced security situation for several months. Against that backdrop, the entry of armed individuals into a college, the disabling of its CCTV infrastructure, and an open firing on students exposes what the BVJ called a 'grave failure of state security arrangements.'
The Baloch Women Forum (BWF) warned of cascading consequences if perpetrators go unpunished. 'The educational deprivation in Balochistan is no secret to anyone. In such a scenario, if attacks on female students continue and the culprits are not punished for their actions, the situation could become even more dire,' the BWF said, noting the chilling effect on families whose daughters are pursuing education or employment.
A Pattern of Attacks on Education
This is not an isolated incident. Rights groups have documented a pattern of violence targeting educational institutions in Balochistan, with earlier attacks aimed at teachers and professors. The targeting of a girls' college signals an escalation in both scope and intent, critics argue. The simultaneous shutdown of a second school in Qadir Abad on the same day compounds concerns about coordinated intimidation of the province's education sector.
Pakistani authorities had not issued an official statement on the attack as of the time of reporting. With no arrests announced and the perpetrators still at large, rights groups are warning that impunity will deepen the crisis for female education across the province.
Point of View
Send a message second. What makes it more disturbing is the setting — a district reportedly under heightened military presence for months — where armed men still walked in, wrecked the principal's office, and shot three young women. The simultaneous forced closure of a second school the same day is either a remarkable coincidence or coordinated pressure on Balochistan's already-fragile education system. Pakistani authorities' silence in the immediate aftermath, at a moment when a swift response could deter copycats, is itself a statement. The trajectory here — from targeting teachers to targeting students — points to an escalation in both ambition and impunity.
NationPress
28 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at the Girls Degree College in Nushki, Balochistan?
Three masked gunmen stormed the Girls Degree College in Nushki district, Balochistan, on Tuesday, 28 October 2026, disabled surveillance cameras, vandalised the principal's office, and opened fire on students. Three female students — Mehmoona, Maryam, and Rukhsana — were injured, with one reported to be in critical condition.
Who were the students injured in the Nushki college attack?
The three injured students were identified as Mehmoona and Maryam, both from Qaziabad, and Rukhsana from the Killi Mengal region of Balochistan. All three were taken to Mir Gul Khan Naseer Teaching Hospital in Nushki for treatment.
Which organisations condemned the attack on the Balochistan girls' college?
Several rights and student bodies condemned the attack, including the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC), Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ), and the Baloch Women Forum (BWF). All held Pakistani authorities responsible for the security failure.
Was this the only attack on a school in Balochistan on the same day?
No. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee reported that on the same day, armed men entered Vision Public School in Qadir Abad, harassed children, forced the school to shut down, and warned the administration against reopening. Rights groups have described the two incidents together as a pattern of coordinated intimidation targeting education in Balochistan.
Why do rights groups say Balochistan's schools are increasingly unsafe?
Rights bodies point to a documented pattern of violence against educational institutions in Balochistan — earlier targeting teachers and professors, and now students directly. They argue that inadequate security measures, combined with apparent impunity for perpetrators, have created a climate where families are deterred from sending girls to school or college.
