13 Afghan Doctors, One Medical Student Detained in Pakistan Despite Pending Visa Applications

Pakistani police have detained 13 Afghan doctors and one Afghan medical student in Multan, Punjab province, and transferred them to a deportation center, despite the group saying their visa applications have remained pending for nearly a year.

The detainees said on Tuesday, July 14, that they were arrested while working and training at a government hospital in Multan before being transferred to a detention facility in Attock, where they now face possible deportation to Afghanistan. According to the group, they had submitted applications for new visas or extensions of their existing visas approximately one year ago, but Pakistani authorities have yet to issue a final decision on their cases.

The doctors said five members of the group had applied for new entry visas, while the remaining eight had sought extensions to continue their medical training and specialization in Pakistan. Throughout the past year, they said Pakistani police and security agencies repeatedly reviewed their documents and immigration records, yet their applications remained under review without any official resolution.

The detainees warned that deportation at this stage would abruptly end years of medical education and specialist training. Many of them are enrolled in postgraduate residency and specialization programs at public hospitals, and they fear they would be unable to complete their qualifications if returned to Afghanistan.

“We have complied with every legal requirement and submitted all the necessary documents,” one of the detained doctors said. “Our applications have simply not been processed. Deporting us before a decision is made would destroy our professional futures.”

The group has appealed to both the Pakistani government and the Taliban authorities to intervene, urging officials to suspend any deportation until their visa cases are resolved and they are allowed to complete their medical education.

The latest detentions come as Pakistan continues to intensify its nationwide campaign against undocumented foreign nationals, particularly Afghan citizens. Since late 2023, authorities have expanded arrest, detention, and deportation operations across the country as part of efforts to remove foreigners without valid immigration status. Human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concern that the crackdown has also affected Afghans whose immigration applications remain pending or who are awaiting decisions on visa renewals.

Earlier this week, Punjab police also detained another Afghan doctor and at least 10 Afghan medical students studying at universities and teaching hospitals across the province. According to reports, 10 of those detained were undergoing specialist training at Quaid-e-Azam Medical College and Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur when they were taken into custody. Another Afghan doctor, identified as Noorullah, was reportedly arrested at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital.

Pakistani authorities have not publicly explained the reasons for the latest arrests. However, the detainees said they were taken into custody after their visas expired, despite having submitted renewal or extension applications months earlier. The series of arrests has deepened uncertainty among Afghan doctors and medical students in Pakistan, many of whom say they have attempted to regularize their immigration status but remain caught in lengthy administrative delays while facing the risk of detention and deportation.

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