Sindh High Court Suspends Expulsion of Afghan Medical Students Until Sept. 29

DID Press: Sindh High Court has suspended a directive requiring Afghan medical students in Pakistan to return to Afghanistan until the next hearing on Sept. 29, providing interim relief to students facing expulsion.

The ruling followed petitions by Afghan students, including three final-year MBBS students at Dow University of Health Sciences who were admitted under Pakistan’s Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarship Programme. The students told the court that they hold valid Pakistani student visas and challenged the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) directive requiring Afghan medical and dental students to leave the country.

Two of the three Dow students are women. They argued that being forced to return to Afghanistan before completing their degrees would jeopardize their education because of restrictions on women’s access to higher education under the Taliban. The court has barred authorities from taking coercive action against the petitioners until the next hearing.

Meanwhile, several Afghan doctors and medical staff have reportedly been suspended from work at Northwest General Hospital and Research Centre in Peshawar because their visa-extension applications remain pending. According to Ariana News, a hospital circular instructed Afghan employees without valid visas to stop working until they provide valid visa documentation and complete the required verification process.

The developments highlight broader challenges facing Afghan students and professionals in Pakistan, where visa and residency issues are increasingly affecting access to education and employment.