Afghan medical students in limbo

The Foreign Office on Thursday rejected reports that Pakistan had decided to expel all Afghan students, saying those enrolled in valid degree programmes and holding valid visas will be allowed to remain and complete their education, even as Afghan medical students challenge Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) repatriation directives in court. "There is no such decision by the government to return all the Afghan students," the Foreign Office spokesperson said, clarifying that students enrolled in recognised degree programmes with valid visas could stay and complete their education. He said, however, that Afghan students without valid visas or those not enrolled in recognised degree programmes would have to return to Afghanistan. Students neither registered at a university nor holding valid visas would fall into this category, he added. The clarification came amid concerns among Afghan students and their families following reports that some medical students were being asked to leave Pakistan despite claiming to hold valid visas. The spokesperson referred questions about individual students' registration status to PM&DC. The council has said in a separate statement that more than 200 Afghan students have been identified as studying medicine in Pakistan, but only 22 are presently registered with PM&DC. Of these, 14 have completed their degree programmes, while eight are expected to graduate next year. PM&DC said its verification process concerning the remaining 176 students was still under way and the figure was subject to final confirmation. It maintained that its regulatory requirements applied equally to all foreign nationals and were not based on nationality. However, 13 Afghan medical students approached the Lahore High Court, challenging PM&DC directives ordering them to return to Afghanistan. The petitioners, seven women and six men, are enrolled at medical institutions including King Edward Medical University, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical & Dental College and Services Institute of Medical Sciences. The petitioners asked the court to declare PM&DC directives issued on July 31 and September 1 "illegal and unconstitutional", arguing that the council lacked lawful authority to expel students, who had already spent years pursuing medical education in Pakistan. PM&DC's September 1 directive instructed medical and dental colleges not to allow new admissions, placements, transfers or migration involving Afghan nationals during the current academic session.