Pakistan medical council tells Amu expulsion order covers all Afghan students

Pakistan’s medical regulator has told Amu TV that an order requiring Afghan medical and dental students to leave their universities applies to all Afghan students, including those studying under Pakistan’s Allama Muhammad Iqbal scholarship program. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council said the decision was made under Pakistani government policy, particularly that of the Interior Ministry. The council’s research department told Amu TV that the directive covers all Afghan students, including scholarship recipients. Under a letter issued by the council, admissions, transfers and other academic arrangements for Afghan medical and dental students have also been suspended. Universities have been instructed to complete administrative procedures for the departure of students currently enrolled. King Edward Medical University in Lahore is among the first institutions to implement the directive. The university has instructed 20 Afghan medical students to report to complete departure formalities. Seven of the students are in their final year, according to reports. The decision has prompted criticism from Pakistani lawmakers, opposition figures and human rights groups, who have called for the order to be withdrawn. Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, the opposition leader in Pakistan’s Senate, criticized the decision, saying students who pay tuition should be allowed to continue their studies. “This action clearly gives the impression of personal revenge,” Abbas said. “This amounts to harming our future generations.” He warned that the decision could deepen hostility and “sow the seeds of hatred” among younger generations. Asad Qaiser, a Pakistani opposition lawmaker, also condemned the measure and said he would raise the issue in the National Assembly. He said he had also challenged the decision in the Peshawar High Court. “Do policymakers have no sense or moral responsibility?” Qaiser said. “I strongly condemn this notification by the medical and dental council and demand its immediate withdrawal.” “Students who are already studying should be given the opportunity to complete their education,” he added. Rights commission warns of impact on women The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the issue had gone beyond an educational decision and had become a humanitarian concern, particularly for Afghan women studying medicine. The commission estimates that 20 to 40 Afghan female students could be affected. Women returned to Afghanistan face particularly limited prospects for continuing their education because the Taliban have barred women and girls from universities and medical education. “Some students have now approached the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and, in addition to seeking legal and institutional support, have requested safe shelter, underscoring the severity and urgency of the situation,” the commission said. According to reports cited in the original account, 26 Afghan female students at King Edward Medical University and Fatima Jinnah Medical Uni