The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has directed medical and dental institutions to expel Afghan students and arrange for their return to Afghanistan. The council has barred medical and dental colleges from granting admission or placement to Afghan students for the current academic session and directed Afghan students already studying in Pakistan to complete the formalities required for their return. The implications of this policy are particularly devastating for Afghan women. Human Rights Watch has pointed out that returning these students could end their chances of ever becoming doctors or dentists, given that the Afghan Taliban have banned women from universities and medical training. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan estimates that around 100 Afghan medical and dental students in Lahore could be affected, including between 20 and 40 women.
There are legitimate concerns about security and the deteriorating relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan. But students cannot and should not be penalised for the actions of governments or militant groups. If an Afghan medical student has ties to a terrorist organisation, that individual should be investigated and, where evidence exists, charged. Penalising an entire group of students for something they have no connection with is neither justice nor sound policy. The move also has far-reaching implications for academic institutions and for students who may have spent years studying in Pakistan. For those close to completing their degrees, being expelled now is not simply an administrative inconvenience. It could mean losing years of education and the end of a professional future.
This is reminiscent of Pakistan’s repatriation of Afghan refugees, which began at the end of 2023 under the caretaker government. The state justified the policy on security grounds, citing cross-border terrorism. Yet it was difficult to avoid the impression that ordinary Afghans were being punished because the Afghan Taliban harbours and facilitates the TTP and the BLA. When that repatriation began, many urged the government to learn to distinguish between terrorists and genuine refugees. The same principle applies here. No one leaves home simply because they want to have a good time elsewhere. Afghans have been forced from their homes by decades of conflict. We frequently criticise the discriminatory policies of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We should be equally willing to examine discriminatory practices at home. Targeting an entire category of people because of their nationality reeks of racism and xenophobia. That concern is particularly relevant in a multi-ethnic country. Pakistan may have little ability to change the Afghan Taliban’s policies. But it does have control over how it treats people within its own jurisdiction. The government would do well to ensure that its response to the Afghan Taliban does not inadvertently penalise Afghan students who have no connection to militant activity. Given the potential consequences for students who have already invested years in their education, the policy merits reconsideration. At the very least, as rights organisations have urged, the government should consider allowing affected students to remain lawfully in Pakistan long enough to complete their degrees.
