Afghan medical students in Pakistan given days to leave after expulsion order
Pakistan's medical council has directed colleges to expel Afghan students, with many given only three days to depart. More than 200 Afghan nationals are enrolled in Pakistani medical institutions, and most are affected. Students say they were legally admitted and now face an uncertain future, with some women noting they cannot study medicine elsewhere.
The expulsion directive, issued by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council on September 1, affects over 200 Afghan nationals currently enrolled in medical and dental programs. While the regulator claims only 22 students were properly registered, many others entered through the Allama Iqbal Scholarship, a joint initiative between Pakistan's Higher Education Commission and its Kabul embassy for top-performing Afghan applicants.
The sudden eviction notices, some giving students just 24 hours to vacate hostels, occur against a backdrop of deteriorating Islamabad-Kabul relations and Pakistan's broader repatriation campaign, which has already seen over 2.4 million Afghans return home since late 2023. Affected students, including women who face barriers to medical education in Afghanistan, argue they followed official admission procedures.
This sudden expulsion could disrupt the medical education of hundreds of Afghan students, potentially creating a significant shortage of trained healthcare professionals in Afghanistan, particularly female doctors. The policy may further strain diplomatic ties between Islamabad and Kabul, while also raising concerns among international students about the stability of Pakistan's educational environment. For the affected individuals, the abrupt timeline could lead to wasted years of study and severe personal hardship, as many may lack viable alternatives to complete their degrees.