The government of Pakistan has imposed restrictions on the continuation of studies for Afghan students enrolled in medicine and dentistry programs in the country and has asked them to return to Afghanistan.
In a directive issued by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, universities and medical educational institutions across the country have been instructed to prohibit the admission, transfer, change of institution, and other educational facilities for Afghan students during the current academic year until further notice.
The directive does not provide any clear explanation for the decision, but states that it has been made based on Pakistan’s national priorities.
According to reports, around 2,500 Afghan students are studying medicine and dentistry in Pakistan. Some students say that if they are forced to return to Afghanistan, their studies will remain incomplete and their futures will face serious uncertainty.
A number of Afghan student representatives have called on Pakistan and the Taliban government to resolve their problems through dialogue and an agreement.
Meanwhile, the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad, which is administered by the Taliban government, said that dozens of Afghan students visited the embassy following the announcement of Pakistan’s decision and called for a solution to their problem.
The embassy said it has shared the issue with authorities in Kabul and is seeking a solution for the Afghan students.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has described the decision by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council as discriminatory and arbitrary, and has called on Pakistani authorities to adopt a humanitarian and practical solution that would allow Afghan medical students to complete their studies.
Bushra Gohar, the leader of the National Democratic Movement in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has also condemned the decision by King Edward Medical University to expel Afghan students, particularly those in their final year.
Bushra Gohar wrote on the social media platform X that expelling Afghan students who are close to completing their medical studies is “inhumane, cruel and unacceptable.”
She called on the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and the administration of King Edward Medical University to immediately reconsider their decision and allow Afghan students to complete their studies.
She stressed that Afghan students should not become victims of political differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This comes as the Pakistani government has recently taken a number of controversial decisions that have severely affected Afghans in Pakistan, while Pakistani citizens in Afghanistan—particularly students and university students—have also been seriously affected. Critics say that Pakistan’s decision is contrary to all humanitarian and international laws.
