Lahore High Court Stays Eviction of Afghan Medical Students
Mian Nadeem | Published September 14, 2026 | 05:12 PM
Justice Khalid Ishaq hears petitions filed by 13 Afghan students and seeks responses from UHS, PMDC and medical colleges.
LAHORE (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 14th Sep, 2026) : The Lahore High Court has issued a stay order against the eviction of Afghan students from medical colleges and sought responses from the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and medical colleges.
Justice Khalid Ishaq heard petitions filed by 13 Afghan nationals, including Sabiha Daftani and Waheeda Asad Rasool. Advocate Asad Jamal presented arguments on behalf of the 13 Afghan medical students. The Federal government, Higher Education authorities, PMDC and others were named respondents in the petition.
The petition stated that the Afghan students were enrolled in various medical colleges across Punjab, with several studying in the fourth and fifth years of their medical programmes. According to the petitioners, the students had been granted fully funded seats under the Allama Muhammad Iqbal 4,500 Scholarship Programme and possessed valid Pakistani study visas and passports.
The petition maintained that the Afghan students were being sent back to Afghanistan under the pretext of obtaining clearance, although no specific order had been issued by the federal government under the Foreigners Act, 1946. The petitioners said there was also no individual decision cancelling any student’s stay or changing their permission.
They argued that the order to send the Afghan students back was illegal, arbitrary, unconstitutional and beyond the scope of authority. The petition stated that PMDC orders directed the Afghan students to return, while medical colleges had issued notifications instructing them to obtain clearance from the institutions and depart for Afghanistan.
The petitioners expressed apprehension that the administrations of medical colleges might forcibly evict the students. They also claimed that police were harassing Afghan female students residing in university hostels. The petition stated that the situation could affect the Afghan medical students’ classes, examinations and hostel facilities.
The petitioners requested the court to prevent their forced deportation until they completed their medical education and allow them to continue their studies, take examinations and reside in hostel facilities.
