LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) has barred all medical colleges in Punjab from expelling Afghan students enrolled in medical programmes or cancelling their examination papers.
The order came during the hearing of petitions challenging the removal of Afghan medical students from colleges in Punjab.
During the proceedings, the counsel for the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) argued that the Afghan students did not possess the required documents.
Justice Khalid Ishaq questioned how the students had been granted education visas when they were admitted to the medical colleges.
The judge observed that the students had already spent four years of their lives pursuing their education and questioned the decision to send them back at this stage.
The court also questioned the issuance of a notification following a policy decision, saying the students should have been given an opportunity to present their position before being expelled.
The PMDC counsel argued that under international rules, a person could not stay in a country without a valid visa.
The judge questioned the change in policy, asking whether the students had been treated as “favourite children” until the previous day but were now facing a different policy.
In strong remarks, the judge questioned why the students were being subjected to such treatment and said, “You might as well give these students the death penalty.”
The Lahore High Court subsequently ordered that no Afghan medical student should be expelled from any medical college in Punjab and no examination paper of such students should be cancelled.
The court directed the relevant authorities and medical colleges to comply with the order.
The hearing was adjourned until next Friday, when the court will further consider the petitions challenging the action against the Afghan medical students.
