Afghan Students in Pakistan Warn Deportations Could Cut Girls’ Education Short
Afghan medical students in Pakistan have asked the government to stop their deportation, saying the move could end their studies altogether, especially for female students, given the Taliban administration’s restrictions on women’s education in Afghanistan.
According to Pakistani media, the students said those already admitted to colleges and universities in Pakistan should be exempt from the decision and allowed to complete their courses. They expressed concern over orders from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council to send Afghan students back to Afghanistan.
Reports say nearly 1,000 Afghan students are studying in medical and dental colleges in Pakistan, about 350 of them women. The students said the new decision could interrupt the academic paths of many of them halfway through.
The students said most of them entered educational institutions in Pakistan with valid visas and through merit-based admissions, scholarships, special quotas for Afghan nationals, or Pakistan’s technical assistance programme for Afghans. They called on the Pakistani government to grant an exemption for current students.
The Dawn newspaper, quoting one student representative, reported that about 200 medical graduates who have completed their internships and are waiting to enter specialist training would also be affected by the decision.
The students also referred to the Lahore High Court’s decisions, which on July 31 and September 1 suspended the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s orders. Citing those rulings, they called for a review of the policy of deporting Afghan students.
In an order issued on September 1, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council asked the colleges where these students study to implement the process of sending them back to Afghanistan, including obtaining the necessary permissions and facilitating their departure. Pakistan is one of the main destinations for Afghan students in higher education, especially in medicine.
