“One-third of students – out of the 144 Pakistani students in Bangladesh – have already returned to Pakistan,” Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Syed Maroof said in a statement.

At least 55 people were killed on Sunday alone, including 14 police officers, with the rival sides battling with sticks and knives and security forces firing rifles, taking the total killed since protests began in July to at least 261.

Rallies that began last month against civil service job quotas have escalated into some of the worst unrest of Hasina’s 15-year rule and shifted into wider calls for the 76-year-old to step down.

As the situation has deteriorated, the high commission has directed all students to immediately reach the high commission premises. The staff has been in telephonic contact with those unable to reach the high commission, it added.

Demonstrators in the capital Dhaka, surrounded by a tightly packed and cheering crowd, waved a Bangladeshi flag on top of an armoured car as soldiers watched, according to videos on social media verified by AFP.

Last month, Sheikh Hasina government announced the imposition of a curfew and the deployment of military forces after police failed to quell days of deadly unrest that has spread throughout the country.

“The high commission has advised the students to remain confined to their accommodation and keep themselves isolated from the current circumstances,” it said.

The statement added that the embassy was “closely monitoring” the situation and ensuring the safety of Pakistani citizens was its duty.