Key facts
- Afghan students studying medicine in Pakistan face potential deportation.
- Pakistan's Medical and Dental Council ordered colleges to send Afghan students home.
- A Lahore High Court order has temporarily halted deportations for students in Punjab.
- Final year students fear their degrees will not be recognized if they are forced to leave.
- Amnesty International called the council's decision discriminatory and arbitrary.
Afghan students pursuing medical and dental degrees in Pakistan are facing an uncertain future as the country's Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has ordered them to return to their home country. This directive, issued earlier this month, has sparked fears among students that their educational dreams will be cut short, particularly for those in their final year who are months away from completing their studies. A temporary stay order from the Lahore High Court has provided a brief reprieve for students in Punjab, with the next hearing scheduled for Friday. However, there is no guarantee that this stay will be extended.
The PMDC's decision has drawn criticism from human rights organizations and former diplomats. Amnesty International has labeled the move as "patently discriminatory and arbitrary," citing Pakistan's obligations under international human rights law. Some former Pakistani envoys to Afghanistan have also expressed shock and urged reconsideration on humanitarian grounds.
Students, like Nooria, who left Afghanistan due to the Taliban's restrictions on women's education and work, see this as a devastating blow. She recounts her journey to Pakistan on a scholarship, dedicating years of intense study to her dream of becoming a doctor, only to face potential deportation. The students argue that their academic pursuits should not be affected by the deteriorating diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Pakistan accusing the Taliban government of harboring militants.
While the PMDC stated that none of the Afghan students were registered with them, the students claim this is the colleges' responsibility, citing an earlier PMDC notification directing colleges to ensure student registration. Pakistan's Ministry for Foreign Affairs has stated that Afghan students on valid visas for valid courses will be allowed to complete their education, but students report no change in their situation. The estimated 1,000 affected students, many holding valid visas, fear that without completing their degrees, their credits may not be recognized elsewhere, forcing them to start their education from scratch.