Lahore High Court Temporarily Halts Expulsion of Afghan Medical Students

DID Press: The Lahore High Court has issued an interim order suspending the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s directive to expel Afghan medical students, allowing them to continue their studies and sit examinations until the case is finally decided.

The Lahore High Court on Friday, September 11, temporarily suspended the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s decision to send Afghan medical students back to Afghanistan.The case was brought by 13 Afghan students studying at medical institutions in Lahore, including King Edward Medical University, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical & Dental College and the Services Institute of Medical Sciences. The students challenged the PMDC directives requiring them to return to Afghanistan.

On September 1, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council had directed Afghan medical students enrolled in Pakistani medical colleges to return to Afghanistan. It also instructed medical and dental institutions not to admit or allocate placements to Afghan students during the current academic year.

Justice Khalid Ishaq ordered that the Afghan students should not be expelled and should not be prevented from taking their examinations. The court also directed the relevant parties to submit their responses at the next hearing.

The students’ lawyer said the interim order allows the affected students to return to their hostels, resume their education and sit their examinations while the legal proceedings continue.The court has therefore provided temporary relief to the students, while the underlying dispute over the PMDC directives remains pending.