Kyrgyzstan - May 2024

Hundreds of Pakistani university students fled Kyrgyzstan in May 2024 after a seemingly minor altercation between Pakistani students and Kyrgyz youth at a Bishkek restaurant escalated into the storming of an international student dormitory by 700 Kyrgyz youths. The attacks resulted in 41 hospitalizations and by 20 May, 1,200 Pakistani students at Kyrgyzstan International University had returned home. Observers credited the escalation and violence with growing sentiments – that the government has been unable or unwilling to counteract - that South Asians are replacing Kyrgyz workers in areas where foreign students often take part-time jobs such as taxis, food couriers, and car washes.

Sources: Eurasianet, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Havli