Pakistan’s Sindh High Court has temporarily suspended a directive issued by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) requiring Afghan medical students to return to Afghanistan before completing their studies.
According to Pakistani media reports, the court issued an interim order staying the PMDC notification and directed authorities not to take coercive action against the affected students until September 29.
The case involves two separate petitions filed by Afghan medical students in Karachi. One petition was submitted by three final-year students at Dow Medical College, while another represents 31 Afghan students studying at Dow University of Health Sciences, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and other medical institutions.
The students argued that being forced to leave Pakistan before completing their medical degrees would disrupt years of education and seriously affect their professional careers. They also maintained that they had been admitted under Pakistan’s existing educational framework and should be allowed to complete their studies.
In its interim order, the Sindh High Court suspended the challenged notifications until the next hearing and barred authorities from initiating deportation or other enforcement measures against the petitioners during this period.
The development comes as Pakistan continues its campaign against undocumented foreign nationals, including Afghan citizens. Rights groups and international organizations have expressed concerns about the impact of these measures on Afghan students, refugees and families with pending legal or asylum matters.
The court’s decision provides temporary relief to the affected students, but the broader legal challenge against the PMDC directive remains pending. The matter is expected to be considered further at the next hearing.