Amnesty International Condemns Pakistan’s Order Requiring Afghan Medical Students to Return

Amnesty International has condemned the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s (PMDC) decision requiring Afghan medical students in Pakistan to return to Afghanistan, calling it “patently discriminatory and arbitrary” in nature . The human rights organization warned that the consequences of this decision would be particularly severe for female Afghan students, many of whom have already been denied access to higher education in Afghanistan under the Islamic Emirate’s ongoing gender-based restrictions on women and girls .

Students Face Ruined Futures

The organization emphasized that many students have spent years studying medicine and now face the prospect of having their education abruptly and unjustifiably disrupted, with limited opportunities to continue their studies elsewhere . “For a medical or dental student, being forced to leave or discontinue their education is not simply a matter of leaving a university,” one Afghan female student told Arab News. “It could mean losing years of hard work, significant family investment, and the future of a young person” .

Amnesty International stressed that Pakistan has obligations under international human rights law to uphold the right to education without discrimination based on national origin . The organization urged Pakistani authorities to adopt a humane and practical solution that would allow Afghan students, including women and girls, to complete their education .

Scope of the Directive

The PMDC has cancelled the registration of Afghan students at both public and private medical universities across Pakistan and has directed institutions to complete necessary administrative formalities, including issuing no-objection certificates and facilitating their departure . The directive also prohibits new admissions, transfers, or any other form of facilitation for Afghan nationals during the current academic session until further orders .

In Lahore, King Edward Medical University has ordered 22 Afghan students, including five women, to complete departure formalities, while Fatima Jinnah Medical University has directed 21 Afghan female students to do so . According to the Afghan embassy spokesperson, approximately 1,000 Afghan students are enrolled in educational institutions across Punjab, with around 400 studying medicine .

Broader Context

The decision comes amid increasingly strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban government of sheltering militant groups that launch attacks against Pakistan—a charge Kabul denies . The measure also aligns with Pakistan’s wider campaign to repatriate Afghan nationals; more than 2.6 million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan between September 2023 and July 2026 .

The Afghan embassy in Islamabad has condemned the decision as amounting to “forced deportation” of students who entered Pakistan lawfully, warning it could cause irreparable damage to students close to graduation . Former Pakistani special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani called the expulsion “shocking” and urged Islamabad to reverse the decision on humanitarian and moral grounds .

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