Afghan medical students ordered to leave Pakistan midway through studies

Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), the country’s medical education regulatory body, has directed Afghan students studying in medical and dental educational institutions in Pakistan to return to their country. At the same time, new admissions of Afghan students in medical and dental colleges of Pakistan, transfers from one institution to another and migration have been suspended until further orders.

This decision of PMDC has created uncertainty about the future of Afghan students studying in Pakistan. Especially those who are midway through medical education for several years may have to return to their country without completing their studies.

This directive is applicable to both public and private medical and dental institutions of Pakistan. In a letter sent to the institutions on September 1, PMDC stated that Afghan citizens already enrolled in Pakistan will have to return to Afghanistan. Educational institutions have been asked to complete the necessary administrative process, issue no-objection certificates (NOC) and arrange for the students to return to their country for this purpose.

Information of Afghan students has also been asked to be submitted to PMDC. Those who have already completed their studies have been asked to document and confirm the information of their graduation and departure from Pakistan.

Uncertainty midway through studies

The impact of PMDC’s directive has started to be felt in various institutions. Twenty-two Afghan citizens at King Edward Medical University in Lahore have come under this directive. Among them, 20 are MBBS students. They are studying in the second, third, fourth and final years. Six are in the final year. The remaining two have recently completed their studies.

As a result, some of the students who have been studying medical science in Pakistan for several years may be forced to stop their studies and return to their country before completing their degrees.

Earlier this month, PMDC decided not to register, license or recognise degrees obtained from medical and dental educational institutions of Afghanistan for professional work in Pakistan. The organisation stated that medical and dental institutions of Afghanistan are not on their list of recognised foreign universities.

Due to these two decisions, uncertainty has also been created regarding the admission, studies and professional work after obtaining degrees of Afghans involved in medical education in Pakistan.

Strain in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been quite tense in recent times. Islamabad has repeatedly alleged that various armed groups including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are operating in Pakistan using Afghan soil. However, Kabul has been denying these allegations.

Incidents of tension and gunfire have also occurred on the border of the two countries. Its impact is also falling on the life, studies and work of Afghan citizens living in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, PMDC has not disclosed the specific reason for the latest decision regarding Afghan medical students. The organization has only mentioned the policy directives of the concerned authorities and national policy decisions.