{
  "id": 6571432,
  "title": "LHC moved against PMDC's directives for repatriation of Afghan students",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/lhc-moved-against-pmdcs-directives-for-repatriation-of-afghan-students-6571432",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T10:05:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2028861/lhc-moved-against-pmdcs-directives-for-repatriation-of-afghan-students"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Thirteen Afghan medical students filed petitions in the Lahore High Court on Thursday to contest directives from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) that ordered their repatriation to Afghanistan. The plaintiffs, seven women and six men, sued through Advocate Asad Jamal. They were enrolled at institutions like King Edward Medical University and Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical & Dental College. The petitioners argued that PMDC and the medical colleges lacked legal authority to expel the students, as their actions exceeded constitutional and international legal boundaries. Many of the students held scholarships from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and had completed years of medical education in Lahore and Punjab. Nilofar Nikzad, a petitioner, had already left Afghanistan due to Taliban restrictions on women's education. The sudden eviction left them without accommodation and caused distress among Afghan medical students across Pakistan. The PMDC issued directives on July 31 and September 1, barring Afghan students from attending or being admitted to colleges. The students requested the LHC to declare the directives \"illegal and unconstitutional,\" claiming they were discriminatory against women and all Afghan students in Pakistan.",
  "summary": "LAHORE: Thirteen Afghan medical students on Thursday filed multiple petitions before the Lahore High Court (LHC), challenging directives from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) that ordered their return to Afghanistan. The petitioners, comprising seven women and six men, filed the petitions through Advocate Asad Jamal. They were enrolled at different institutions in Lahore, including…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn - Pakistan",
        "title": "LHC moved against PMDC's directives for repatriation of Afghan students",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/lhc-moved-against-pmdcs-directives-for-repatriation-of-afghan-students",
        "published": "2026-09-10T10:05:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}