Full Breakdown
Pakistan Orders Afghan Medical Students to Return, Bars New Admissions
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Core Event
On September 1, 2026, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) ordered all Afghan nationals enrolled in medical or dental programmes to return to Afghanistan and prohibited new admissions, placements, transfers or migrations for the current academic session. Institutions must issue No-Objection Certificates for departure.
Background & Context
The directive is part of Pakistan’s “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan,” launched in late 2023 and intensified after Islamabad blamed Afghan-based militants for cross-border attacks. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said more than 2.4 million Afghan nationals have been repatriated since the plan began. Relations with the Taliban-run Afghan government have deteriorated since late 2025, with border closures and stalled talks.
Data & Statistics
- Al Jazeera: “more than 200” Afghan medical and dental students enrolled; “nearly two dozen” listed for expulsion.
- Al Jazeera (later report): about 7,000 Afghan students in Pakistani colleges, more than 4,500 on government scholarships.
- Hasht-e Subh (cited by Balochistanpulse): nearly 1,000 medical and dental students affected.
- Human Rights Watch / local reports: roughly 100 students in Lahore, including 20-40 women.
- Other sources: estimate about 2,500 Afghan medical and dental students in Pakistan.
Official Statements & Responses
- Afghan Embassy in Islamabad expressed “deep concern,” urging protection of academic rights.
- Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called the decision “inhumane” and said Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education is ready to help returning students.
- Human Rights Watch warned the order breaches the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
- Amnesty International described the measure as “patently discriminatory and arbitrary,” noting severe impact on female students.
- Former ambassadors Mansoor Ahmad Khan and Asif Durrani urged a humanitarian reversal.
Criticism & Opposition
- Patricia Gossman, HRW senior associate, said the order is “shockingly short-sighted and cruel.”
- Amnesty International highlighted that abrupt termination jeopardizes years of study.
- Opposition lawmakers Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Asad Qaiser condemned the decision as “personal revenge” and called for legal challenges.
- Khalid Zadran, Kabul police spokesperson, called the move “retaliatory and cruel.”
On-the-Ground Reports
- Alishba (name changed) received a 24-hour eviction notice and was barred from lectures, saying, “I want to cry every minute.”
- Rizwan, a final-year student in Rawalpindi, said his registration remains pending because PMDC has not approved it.
- Zainab, another final-year student, emphasized that Afghan scholars are “not immigrants” but were invited on scholarships with valid visas.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Estimates of affected students range from 200 to 7,000; PMDC has released no official figure.
- The directive contains no exemption for students near graduation, though some claim they were told they could finish their degrees.
- PMDC cites lack of registration as justification, yet many students say they were never informed of this requirement.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I want to cry every minute,” — Alishba, medical student
- “But we are not registered with PMDC. Our registration is pending due to PMDC not approving it.” — Rizwan, final-year medical student
- “Expelling these students, particularly young women who have fought against extraordinary odds simply to study, is not just an administrative matter,” — Asif Durrani, former special representative for Afghanistan
What’s Next
PMDC has not set a public deadline for compliance, only urging “as soon as possible.” Human-rights groups are calling for protection assessments for female students, and opposition lawmakers plan to raise the issue in the National Assembly.
