The Sindh High Court in Karachi suspended directives by Pakistan’s Medical and Dental Council that ordered Afghan medical students to return home and prohibited new enrollments for Afghans until September 29. A two-judge bench heard arguments from three Afghan students enrolled at Dow University of Health Sciences, who challenged the PMDC notification as unconstitutional and argued it would violate their rights under several articles of Pakistan’s Constitution, including equal treatment and protection against discrimination. The petition highlighted potential gender-based persecution for female students if forced to return to Afghanistan.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
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On Monday, the Sindh High Court (SHC) in Karachi suspended directives from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) that required Afghan medical students to return to their home country. The court's decision came after three Afghan students challenged PMDC’s notification as being without jurisdiction during a hearing before Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon. The PMDC had issued its directive on September 1, instructing Afghan medical students in Pakistani colleges to leave and prohibiting new admissions for the current academic session. Notably, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) is one of several institutions named as respondents alongside government bodies such as the Ministry of Interior and the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The court has issued notices to these parties with further hearings scheduled for September 29, during which time no coercive action against Afghan students will be taken.
Written for “Afghan Medical Students Issue” on 2026-09-14,
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Leaning score -0.50 for article 9119 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-14
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday suspended Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s (PMDC) directives ordering Afghan medical students to return to their country until the next hearing on Sept 29.
asserted
Court → suspend → Sept
A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, heard the case after three Afghan students filed a petition challenging the PMDC notification as being without jurisdiction.
asserted
students → head → jurisdiction
The PMDC issued a notification on September 1, directing Afghan medical students enrolled in Pakistani colleges “to return to Afghanistan”.
asserted
PMDC → issue → Afghanistan
The notification also barred medical and dental colleges from granting admission or placement to Afghan students for the current academic session.
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notification → bar → session
The respondents listed in the petition include the state, the Ministry of Interior, the PMDC, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), the inspector general of Sindh police and the SHO of Eidgah police station in Karachi.
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respondents → list → Karachi
The court subsequently issued notices to the respondents, the additional attorney general and advocate general Sindh for Sept 29.
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court → issue → Sept
“In the meanwhile, the impugned notices shall remain suspended and till then, no coercive action shall be taken by the respondents against the petitioners,” the order added.
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order → remain → petitioners
The three students are enrolled at DUHS under the Allama Mohammad Iqbal Scholarship Programme and are expected to graduate in April 2027.
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students → enrol → April
The petition stated that the students hold valid Pakistani visas on their Afghan passports for the duration of their studies.
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students → state → studies
The petition argued that the impugned actions violated Articles 4, 9, 10-A, 14 and 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
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actions → argue → Pakistan
Article 4 of the Constitution guarantees equal treatment to every person present in Pakistan.
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Article → guarantee → Pakistan
Articles 9 and 14 guarantee the rights to life, liberty and dignity to every person in Pakistan, irrespective of their citizenship status.
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Articles → guarantee → status
Article 10-A guarantees the right to a fair trial and due process, while Article 25 prohibits discrimination.
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Article → guarantee → discrimination
The petition further argued that the female petitioners would face gender-based persecution and an absolute ban on female education in Afghanistan.
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petitioners → argue → Afghanistan
“The respondents’ assertion that repatriation will ‘enable continuation of studies’ is factually false and absurd,” it said.
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it → enable → studies
“Forced return of female scholars would permanently destroy their educational and professional futures, condemn them to a life of dependency and marginalisation, and expose them to severe gender-based discrimination and persecution.”
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return → force → discrimination
The petition further prayed that the SHC declare the PMDC’s orders and DUHS’s notices “unconstitutional, ultra vires, arbitrary, without lawful authority and of no legal effect against the petitioners”.
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SHC → pray → petitioners
The petitioners urged the court to direct the respondents to allow them to continue their MBBS studies, attend clinical rotations, reside in college hostels and appear in examinations without hindrance or harassment.
They also prayed the court to “restrain the respondents from taking any action against the petitioners that may directly or indirectly impede the completion of their MBBS degrees in Pakistan and their stay at hostel premises”.
uncertain
that → urge → premises
