<.p>Afghan medical and dental students studying in Pakistan faced sudden expulsion fears after authorities directed institutions to arrange their return to Afghanistan, according to reports by Al Jazeera, Yahoo, and Quetta Voice. The directive threatened to halt the education of approximately 100 Afghan students in Lahore, including between 20 and 40 women, as documented by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Human Rights Watch.
Court Interventions and Legal Status
According to Yahoo and Quetta Voice, the Lahore High Court intervened by halting the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) from sending the Afghan medical students back to Afghanistan and stopped their eviction. Prior to the court’s intervention, Lahore’s King Edward Medical University had directed 20 Afghan medical students—including four women and seven final-year students—to report within 24 hours to complete departure formalities, as reported by Human Rights Watch.
Impact on Afghan Women Students
Human Rights Watch and the Afghan Diaspora Network highlighted the particularly severe impact of the expulsion order on female students. Because the Taliban banned all women from universities and medical training within Afghanistan, returning to the country effectively ends their chances of ever becoming doctors or dentists. An anonymized letter from a female student studying for her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in Pakistan, published by the Afghan Diaspora Network, described the profound distress of facing deportation back to a system that denies women access to education.
Human Rights Watch noted that Pakistan is bound by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to ensure equal access to higher education without discrimination based on nationality or immigration status. Furthermore, international human rights organizations criticized the PMDC’s September 1 order as arbitrary and discriminatory, urging authorities to withdraw return orders and allow these students to complete their medical and dental degrees.