LHC extends suspension of PMDC directive for Afghan medical students' return

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has extended the suspension of a Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) directive for Afghan medical students to return to Afghanistan after the legal representatives of the body and a university requested additional time to submit their responses. The PMDC issued a notification on September 1, instructing Afghan medical students enrolled in Pakistani institutions to return to Afghanistan and prohibiting medical and dental colleges from admitting or placing Afghan students for the current academic session.

Following the filing of petitions by 13 Afghan students enrolled at various institutions in Lahore, including King Edward Medical University and the Services Institute of Medical Sciences, on September 10, the LHC granted the respondents, including the PMDC, the health ministry, and vice chancellors of the concerned colleges, more time to provide their written replies.

Additionally, a separate petition was filed by five Afghan medical graduates who completed a five-year MBBS program under the HEC-administered Allama Iqbal Scholarship but were left with undecided registration applications for the mandatory year-long house job. The graduates argued that without PMDC registration, they could not fulfill their professional requirements, effectively halting their careers.

The LHC adjourned the hearing to a later date and heard the plea, questioning the council's authority to order deportations and the graduates' right to a house job placement as per the 2025 regulations.