KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday suspended a Pakistani medical regulator's directives requiring Afghan students to return to their country before completing their education, granting interim relief to 34 pupils studying in various colleges of Karachi. 

Two separate petitions were filed over directives issued by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) in July and September. The regulator had said Afghan nationals previously enrolled in Pakistani dental or medical programs were required to return to Afghanistan.

The PM&DC had also instructed Pakistani medical institutions to complete necessary administrative formalities, including documentation facilitating their departure.

Afghan medical students approached the court in separate groups over the directives, Afghanistan's Consul General In Karachi Syed Abdul Jabbar Tashkari told Arab News. One petition was filed by three final-year MBBS students studying at Dow Medical College.

Another petition was filed on behalf of 31 Afghan medical students studying at Dow, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center and other Karachi institutions by Advocate Iftikhar Shah.

"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 SHC said in its order, which bars authorities from taking action against Afghan students till Sept. 29.

Takhari said students of Dow and the Jinnah Hospital have received their stay order from the court.

"They can now remain in their respective places," he said. 

Two of the three Dow petitioners are women, who argued that their forced return to Afghanistan before completing their degrees would jeopardize their education, citing restrictions on female education in Afghanistan.

The three were admitted under the Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarship for Afghan Nationals, a program funded by the Pakistan government and administered by the Higher Education Commission. They joined Dow Medical College during the 2021-22 academic year and are expected to graduate in 2027.

The three Dow students challenged the PM&DC orders, as well as a subsequent urgent notice issued by Dow University of Health Sciences on Sept. 10.

The notice had required Afghan MBBS and BDS students to report to the university, submit required information and collect their original documents and no-objection certificates by Sept. 14. It also asked them to vacate their hostel accommodation.

The Karachi proceedings follow similar relief granted by the Lahore High Court last week, when it suspended enforcement of the PM&DC's directives against Afghan medical students. Those students had also challenged the verdict at the high court.

Pakistan launched a deportation drive to expel undocumented foreigners from its country in November 2023. The move came amid a surge in suicide bombings in the country, which Islamabad blamed on Afghan nationals without offering proof. 

Pakistan's foreign office said last week that Afghan students holding valid visas and enrolled in valid degree programs would be allowed to complete their studies in the country.

Hina S. Kiyani, a spokesperson for PMDC, did not respond to Arab News’ questions about the regulator’s directives, their application to students holding valid visas and whether the affected students would be allowed to continue their studies while the cases remained pending.