Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has moved to ease weeks of uncertainty for Afghan students in the country, saying that those holding valid visas and enrolled in recognized academic programmes will be allowed to remain and complete their education.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan told reporters at the ministry’s weekly briefing that Islamabad has not imposed a blanket ban on Afghan students, pushing back on reports that all Afghan nationals studying in the country would be forced to leave. “Those who have valid visas and are enrolled in legitimate academic programs will continue their education in Pakistan and complete their studies,” Khan said, adding that only students without valid enrolment or a valid visa had been asked to return to Afghanistan.
Khan stressed that both conditions — legal enrolment and a valid visa — needed to be met together, describing this as the standard expectation for any foreign student studying in the country.
The announcement has spread a wave of jubilation among Afghan students studying in various institutions in Pakistan.