The High Court of Sindh province in Pakistan has ordered Jinnah Sindh Medical University in Karachi to allow Afghan students to attend their classes and continue their education. The court also extended interim protection for the students' accommodation in hostels.
The ruling follows a petition by Afghan students against a September 1 directive from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) ordering medical universities to repatriate their Afghan students. The students' lawyers said that despite a previous court order suspending the directive, the university had been preventing the students from attending.
During a hearing on Tuesday, the lawyers argued that the university had deactivated the students' biometric access and was taking steps to evict them from their dormitories. The court ordered that the students' access be immediately restored and that their studies not be disrupted until the next hearing. The current legal protection covers 32 students.
The PMDC's decision has faced widespread criticism. Amnesty International warned that the policy would have serious consequences, especially for Afghan women who are banned from higher education in Afghanistan. Many of these students are studying on Pakistani government scholarships.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that Afghan students with valid visas enrolled in recognized courses can complete their studies. This position appears to contradict the PMDC's directive, causing confusion.
The Sindh court's ruling comes just two weeks after the Balochistan High Court rejected a similar petition from Afghan students, stating that foreign nationals do not have a permanent right to stay or study in Pakistan against government decisions. However, courts in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have granted temporary relief to students in other cases.
The case in the Sindh court has been adjourned until the PMDC submits its response, but the interim order is a significant victory for the Afghan students who were worried their education would be cut short.
Source: Zarin TV
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