Lahore High Court stopped medical colleges of Punjab from expelling Afghan students.
LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) has restrained medical colleges across Punjab from expelling Afghan students while it considers petitions challenging their expulsion from medical institutions.
Justice Khalid Ishaq gave the directive while hearing petitions filed by more than 30 Afghan medical students who contested the decisions affecting their education.
Representing the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC), counsel for the council said the students lacked documents required for permanent residence in Pakistan, stressing that a valid visa was essential to stay in the country.
The court questioned why the students were initially issued study visas and allowed to join medical colleges if their documents were later found to be insufficient. Justice Ishaq also questioned the decision to expel students after nearly four years of medical education.
The judge said that before action was taken against the students, they should have been given an opportunity to present their stand.
PM&DC’s counsel argued that the case involved state security and cited visa requirements in the United States. However, the court rejected the justification of state protection presented during the proceedings.
Justice Ishaq remarked that possibly the students could be sent back after completing their medical studies.
As an interim measure, the LHC ordered medical colleges not to expel Afghan students or cancel their examination papers. The court adjourned further proceedings till next Friday.
The order comes after a clarification issued by the PM&DC a day earlier, stating that Pakistani regulations do not prohibit medical education on the basis of nationality.
The council said its review of Afghan medical students is related to regulatory requirements and documentation and should not be seen as discriminatory on the basis of nationality.
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