Pakistan Does Not Recognize Afghan Medical Degrees, Affecting Thousands of Students

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has announced that it will not recognize medical and dental degrees from Afghan universities, preventing these graduates from taking the National Registration Examination (NRE) required to obtain medical licenses in Pakistan.

According to a statement released by the council on July 31, only Pakistani citizens who graduate from foreign institutions accredited by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) are eligible to sit for the exam. The council stated that Afghan medical and dental universities are not listed among ECFMG-approved institutions.

This decision casts uncertainty over the future of thousands of Pakistani students currently studying in Afghanistan. The PMDC has urged Pakistani students in Afghanistan to make fully informed decisions about continuing their education, emphasizing that no exceptions or exemptions will be granted.

Rehan Naqvi, Secretary of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, told Arab News that students should enrol only in universities listed on the ECFMG website, noting that Afghanistan is not included in this list.

Arab News reported that the ruling particularly impacts students from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, whose families send them to Afghanistan due to lower tuition fees, geographical proximity, and limited medical college seats in Pakistan.

The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates there are approximately 1,300 Pakistani students studying in Afghanistan. However, Ihsan-ud-Dawood, a student at Spin Ghar Medical University in Kabul and President of the Pashtun Students Welfare Association in Kabul, strongly disputes this figure, stating that over 6,000 Pakistani students are currently enrolled in Afghan medical colleges, with around 4,000 having graduated.

He added that this announcement leaves thousands of students and graduates in an uncertain situation. Previously, students had secured a favorable ruling at the Peshawar High Court, but the PMDC challenged this verdict in the Federal Constitutional Court, where the case is still pending.

Ihsan-ud-Dawood also criticized the issuance of this new notice while the constitutional court case is ongoing, highlighting concerns about fairness and legal certainty arising from this action.