LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday barred all medical colleges in Punjab from expelling Afghan medical students or canceling their examination papers while hearing petitions challenging their removal.
Justice Khalid Ishaq heard petitions filed by more than 30 Afghan students who challenged their expulsion from medical colleges in the province.
During the hearing, a lawyer for the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) argued that the students did not have the required documents.
“The principle across the world is that you cannot stay without a valid visa,” the lawyer said.
Justice Ishaq questioned how the students had been granted education visas when they were admitted to medical colleges and why they were being sent back after completing four years of education.
The judge also questioned whether the students had been given an opportunity to be heard before action was taken against them.
The PMDC lawyer argued that the matter involved state security and cited visa requirements in the United States.
Justice Ishaq rejected the state security argument, saying there was no state security issue involved in the case. He also observed that the students could be sent back after completing their medical education.
The court directed that no medical college in Punjab would expel the Afghan students or cancel their examination papers. It adjourned further proceedings until next Friday.
The ruling came a day after the PMDC said there was no nationality-based ban on medical education in Pakistan and that its review of Afghan students concerned regulatory compliance and documentation.
The council said more than 200 Afghan students were studying medicine in Pakistan, but only 22 were currently registered with the PMDC. Of those, 14 had completed their degree programs and eight were expected to graduate next year.
The PMDC said the remaining 176 students were still under verification and that the figure was subject to final confirmation.
It said foreign students who meet academic, registration, documentation and immigration requirements are facilitated through the established system.
The council added that completing a medical degree does not automatically give a foreign student the right to remain in Pakistan for employment or medical practice. Students seeking to practice in the country must meet the applicable licensing and registration requirements.
The PMDC said students who were not registered with the council and did not have the required permissions could not be considered lawfully enrolled foreign medical students within Pakistan’s regulated medical education system.
