May 15, 2025
By Rehan Piracha & Ahmed Saeed
LAHORE
The Bolan Medical College in Quetta has reopened after a prolonged six-month closure, bringing relief to hundreds of students who had been left in uncertainty since November 2024. The hostels are set to reopen from May 16 (Friday) with allotment to students under a new merit-based procedure.
“The college was closed on November 15, due to a dispute and clash between two student groups. In order to safeguard the lives of students and staff, as well as to protect college property, it became imperative to temporarily close the institution,” Principal Dr. Raz Muhammad Kakar told Voicepk explaining the circumstances surrounding the extended closure.
Dr. Kakar noted that the closure coincided with the scheduled winter vacation from December 15 to February 28, 2025, “resulting in a prolonged but effectively justified closure.”
According to the principal, the administration utilized this period for extensive renovation work: “During this period, the college undertook extensive renovation and revamping work across all hostels, lecture halls, and main college buildings. While the physical presence of students was limited, the 4th and final year examinations were successfully conducted to minimize academic disruption,” he added.
“For the first time, the college has implemented a merit-based hostel allotment system,” Dr. Kakar stated. “The allotment process is now complete, and students will begin receiving hostel possession from 16th May 2025,” Kakar said, adding that the college was now open and fully operational.
Students face challenges during closure
For the hundreds of students enrolled at the college, many from remote areas, the closure has caused significant hardship. Students had previously expressed frustration about surviving on “just lectures and promises” for several months, with repeatedly postponed reopening dates.
“The entire academic schedule has been delayed, affecting our studies, exams, and future plans,” said Mujeeb Mengal, a third-year MBBS student at BMC.
The situation has been particularly difficult for students from middle and lower-middle-class backgrounds, for whom private accommodations—costing between 20,000 and 30,000 rupees monthly—were not a feasible alternative during the closure period.
In Balochistan, where access to healthcare and education is already a challenge, the prolonged suspension of BMC’s operations has sparked debate. At the center of this discussion are questions regarding the true cause of the closure—whether it was a necessary step for institutional improvement, or if broader administrative and political factors were at play.
Students in Balochistan, including those at Bolan Medical College, are increasingly uneasy due to heightened security measures on university campuses. The BMC administration claims to have hired private security guards for safety and access control, while student groups fear this securitization aims to suppress dissent and student activism.
With the college now fully operational and hostels reopening, students hope they can resume their education with peace of mind after a period of significant uncertainty.