Key Takeaways
- Thirteen Afghan medical students challenged PMDC directives in the Lahore High Court.
- The students, including seven women and six men, argue the PMDC lacks legal authority to expel them.
- They seek to declare PMDC’s directives illegal and unconstitutional, citing discrimination against Afghan students.
Thirteen Afghan medical students have challenged directives from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) in the Lahore High Court (LHC), according to a report by Dawn. The students, comprising seven women and six men, filed multiple petitions through Advocate Asad Jamal, challenging the PMDC’s directive to return to Afghanistan.
The petitioners, enrolled at various institutions in Lahore such as King Edward Medical University, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical & Dental College, and the Services Institute of Medical Sciences, argue that the PMDC and the medical colleges lack the legal authority to expel them. They contend that the council’s actions are unconstitutional and violate Pakistan’s international legal obligations.
Nilofar Nikzad, one of the petitioners, highlighted her experience, stating that she had completed two years of medical studies in Afghanistan before being forced to abandon her education due to Taliban restrictions on women’s access to education. The sudden and disruptive process led to their evictions from hostels and left them without accommodation, as their academic futures hung in the balance.
The petitioners requested the LHC to declare the PMDC’s directives issued on July 31 and September 1 as illegal and unconstitutional, without lawful authority and void from inception. They argue that the directives are discriminatory against women and all other Afghan students present in Pakistan.
The PMDC issued a notification on September 1, directing Afghan medical students enrolled in Pakistani colleges to return to Afghanistan. The notification also barred medical and dental colleges from granting admission or placement to Afghan students for the current academic session.
Health ministry officials reported that an “in principle” decision had been made to send Afghan students enrolled in Pakistani medical universities back to their country, due to ongoing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. However, the Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson, Sajjad Haider Khan, did not comment on the reported expulsion of Afghan students.
The petitioners, who hold scholarships under the Higher Education Commission (HEC)-sponsored Allama Iqbal Scholarship programme, are seeking recourse from the courts as a last resort. Their legal challenge reflects the significant distress and disruption caused by the sudden and arbitrary process of their expulsion.
The LHC registrar’s office has yet to fix the petitions for hearing, leaving the fate of the Afghan medical students in limbo. The case highlights the complex legal and humanitarian issues surrounding the repatriation of Afghan students and the role of regulatory bodies in such matters.
The impugned orders are discriminatory against women and all other Afghan students present in Pakistan.
One of the petitioners, Afghan medical student
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