Lahore (HRNW)- The Lahore High Court has issued a stay order on a petition challenging the expulsion of Afghan medical students and sought responses from the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), and the medical colleges concerned.
Justice Khalid Ishaq heard petitions filed by 13 Afghan nationals, including Sabiha Daftani and Waheeda Asad Rasool. Advocate Asad Jamal represented the petitioners, while the Federal Government, Higher Education Commission (HEC), PMDC, and other authorities were named as respondents.
According to the petition, the Afghan students are enrolled in medical colleges across Punjab, with several currently in their fourth or fifth year. The petitioners said they were admitted on fully funded seats under the Allama Muhammad Iqbal 4500 Scholarship Program and hold valid Pakistani study visas and passports.
The petitioners argued that the students were being directed to return to Afghanistan under the pretext of obtaining clearance, despite there being no specific federal government order under the Foreigners Act, 1946. They maintained that no individual decision had been issued cancelling the students’ stay or changing their residency status, making the repatriation directive illegal, arbitrary, and unconstitutional.
The petition further stated that PMDC directives instructed the Afghan students to return, while medical colleges issued notifications requiring them to obtain institutional clearance and leave for Afghanistan. The students also expressed concerns over possible forced eviction and alleged that Afghan female students living in university hostels were facing harassment by police.
The petitioners said the measures could disrupt their classes, examinations, and hostel arrangements. They asked the court to restrain authorities from forcibly deporting the students until completion of their medical education and to allow them to continue their studies, examinations, and hostel residency.
The Lahore High Court has sought responses from the relevant authorities as the legal challenge proceeds.
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