Sindh court halts deportation of Afghan medical students from Pakistan
A high court in Pakistan’s Sindh province has suspended the enforcement of an order by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council to send Afghan students back until the next court hearing on Sept. 29, a move that temporarily prevents their deportation.
The ruling was issued on Monday following a petition by three Afghan students studying at Dow University of Health Sciences under Allama Iqbal scholarships. They said they are in Pakistan on valid visas and that their deportation has no legal basis.
In their petition, the students said the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council order conflicts with several provisions of the country’s constitution, including the right to life, human dignity, fair trial and protection against discrimination. Two female students also warned that returning them to Afghanistan would destroy their academic and professional futures, given the Taliban administration’s ban on women’s higher education.
The decision comes after the Lahore High Court last week also suspended the enforcement of a similar order. That court said no punitive action should be taken against Afghan students until a final hearing is held.
At the same time, reports have emerged of Afghan doctors and health workers being suspended at Northwest General Hospital and Research Centre in Peshawar. According to the reports, they have been barred from continuing work because of delays in visa renewals and the failure to approve their applications, and are not allowed to return to duty until the review is complete.
Together, these developments have increased concern within Pakistan’s Afghan academic and medical community. Dow University of Health Sciences is one of Sindh’s best-known educational institutions, and the latest case, alongside the recent Lahore court ruling, suggests that the issue of Afghan students and doctors in Pakistan has entered a broader legal phase.
