There is a clear difference between enforcing immigration laws and punishing students simply because of the passports they carry. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s decision to bar Afghan nationals from medical and dental admissions in the current session, while requiring students already enrolled to return home, appears to cross that line. Whatever the wider political and security considerations may be, abruptly disrupting the education of students who entered recognised institutions through established procedures raises serious questions of fairness and proportionality.
The reasoning behind the decision is not difficult to understand. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated sharply, with Islamabad pressing ahead with its repatriation policy amid concerns over cross-border terrorism and the presence of militant groups. The government has every right to regulate immigration, control residency and take measures it considers necessary for national security. However, those powers should not automatically translate into collective punishment for students who have no connection with the policies of the Afghan government or militant organisations.
The issue becomes even more difficult to justify when considering the position of Afghan students who possess valid documentation and are already pursuing recognised medical and dental programmes. The Foreign Office has stated that visa-extension applications submitted by Afghan students continue to be processed under existing rules. If students are legally present and their visa matters are being dealt with according to established procedures, a blanket directive forcing them to abandon their studies appears unnecessarily harsh and inconsistent.
For many Afghan students, being forced to return home is not simply a change of location; it could mean the collapse of years of educational effort and the loss of a carefully built professional future. Afghanistan’s education system has suffered enormously, while restrictions imposed by the Taliban have severely limited opportunities, particularly for women. Girls remain deprived of secondary education and women continue to face restrictions on university education, while female medical education has also been suspended. In such circumstances, compelling students to leave Pakistan after they have secured admission, paid fees and invested years in their studies can have devastating consequences.
Pakistan’s concerns about terrorism and security along its western border cannot be dismissed. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Kabul of failing to prevent militant groups from operating from Afghan territory, and these concerns deserve a serious response. Yet Afghan students are not the Taliban government, nor should they be treated as representatives of its policies. Students pursuing medicine and dentistry should not become bargaining tools in a dispute between two states.
A more balanced policy is possible. Students who are already legally enrolled in medical and dental institutions should, at the very least, be allowed to complete their degrees, subject to valid documentation and security requirements. New admissions can be reviewed under transparent visa, residency and security rules, but existing students should not be deprived of their education without an individual assessment of their circumstances. Such an approach would allow the government to address legitimate security concerns without resorting to an indiscriminate policy.
Pakistan has hosted generations of Afghans and has carried a considerable burden as a result of the decades-long conflict in Afghanistan. That history should not culminate in a policy that confuses vulnerability with culpability. Security measures can be firm and necessary without becoming collective punishment. The government must therefore reconsider the measure and ensure that students who are legally enrolled are given a fair opportunity to complete their education.
Shafaqna Pakistan
pakistan.shafaqna.com
Note: Shafaqna do not endorse the views expressed in the article
