'Complete despair': Afghan female medical students fear being sent home from Pakistan
Afghan female medical students in Pakistan face an uncertain future after the Pakistani government ordered them to return to Afghanistan. These students fear that returning will end their education and careers due to the Taliban's ban on women's education.
Why it matters
The directive highlights the humanitarian crisis facing Afghan refugees and the severe impact of Taliban policies on women's access to professional education.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Women in Afghanistan can no longer study beyond primary school level
Nooria, which is not her real name, still remembers one of the moments that made her want to be a doctor.
It was back home in a village in Afghanistan, where she was born. A 13-year-old boy there became sick and died because of appendicitis.
"He was completely healthy, but the road was blocked and he died on the way. There are multiple incidents just like this."
"That and the potential I saw in myself, I thought I can be a doctor for them, I can help."
She fears that dream could now be over and that she could be sent back to Afghanistan. That would be the end of any chance at a career for Nooria who, as a woman, is barred from studying or working by Afghanistan's Taliban government.
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