Amnesty International condemns Pakistan order requiring Afghan medical students to return

Amnesty International has condemned the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s decision requiring Afghan medical students in Pakistan to return to Afghanistan, calling it discriminatory and arbitrary.

The organization said the decision would have particularly severe consequences for female Afghan students, many of whom have already been denied access to higher education in Afghanistan under the Islamic Emirate’s restrictions on women and girls.

Amnesty said many students have spent years studying medicine and now face the prospect of having their education abruptly disrupted, with limited opportunities to continue their studies elsewhere.

The organization urged Pakistani authorities to uphold the right to education without discrimination based on national origin and adopt a humane and practical solution that would allow Afghan students, including women and girls, to complete their education.

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has cancelled the registration of Afghan students at public and private medical universities in the country and has moved to deport them immediately from Pakistan.