Islamabad: Around 1000 Afghan medical and dental students studying in Pakistan have appealed to the government to exempt already enrolled students from directives requiring them to return to Afghanistan.

The students include about 350 women, according to their spokesperson Anayatullah Momand, a final year MBBS student at Khyber Medical College. He said around 200 other Afghan graduates who have completed their house jobs and are waiting to enter specialisation programmes are also affected.

The appeal follows a September 1 directive from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), which asked medical and dental colleges to facilitate the return of Afghan students in line with prevailing government policy.

The students are asking for an exemption for those already pursuing their degrees. Momand said many entered Pakistan legally, with some arriving on scholarships, Afghan national seats or under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme for Afghans.

The issue is particularly sensitive for female students. The students say returning to Afghanistan could prevent them from continuing their medical education because of restrictions on women’s education under the Taliban.

One student who came to Pakistan on an Allama Iqbal Scholarship said she had hoped to complete her medical education and eventually serve women in Afghanistan. She said the uncertainty over her studies had left her unsure whether she would be able to become a doctor.

The students also say they have limited options if forced to return. Momand said Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan had told students that they could seek admission in medical and dental colleges in Afghanistan if repatriated. The students, however, argue that completing their degrees in Pakistan is important for their future.

The dispute has already reached the courts. The Lahore High Court has temporarily suspended PMDC directives issued on July 31 and September 1 concerning the admission of Afghan students. The students say the suspension has offered relief but does not provide a permanent solution.

The situation also affects institutions that have already enrolled Afghan students. King Edward Medical University, for example, ordered 22 Afghan students to vacate its campus on September 7, according to one student.

For the students, the issue is no longer simply about where they study. It is about whether those who were already admitted can finish the education they had begun before the policy changed.