Key points:
- The Lahore High Court issued an interim order stopping all Punjab medical colleges from dismissing Afghan students currently enrolled.
- More than thirty Afghan nationals filed petitions fearing loss of their seats due to missing paperwork.
- Justice Ishaq acknowledged the documentation gap but emphasized that any removal must follow proper legal procedure.
- The matter has been adjourned to next Friday, with the court directing the provincial government and colleges to keep the status quo until then.
Justice Ishaq heard the petitions on Friday, after the students warned that several medical colleges in Punjab were preparing to cancel their registrations on the basis of incomplete documentation. While the court recognized that the Afghan enrolments lack some of the formal papers required under existing regulations, it also stressed that expulsion cannot be carried out arbitrarily and must adhere to established legal safeguards.
Provincial authorities and the Punjab medical college administrators were instructed to maintain the current enrolment of the Afghan students until the next hearing. A lawyer representing the Punjab government and the Deputy Commissioner argued that the students do not possess the necessary certificates and visas, but the bench rejected an immediate sanction, opting instead for a thorough examination of the case.
The decision has immediate ramifications for the sizable Afghan refugee community in Pakistan, many of whom rely on higher‑education opportunities to rebuild their lives after years of displacement. Keeping the seats open preserves not only the students’ academic futures but also the staffing pipeline for Pakistan’s healthcare system, which often depends on foreign‑trained graduates. The next hearing, scheduled for the coming Friday, will determine whether a permanent legal framework will be drafted to regularize the status of Afghan students in Pakistani medical institutions.