Pakistan court blocks expulsion of Afghan medical college students

A Pakistan court blocked on Friday (September 18, 2026) an order by the country's medical board for dozens of Afghans studying to be doctors to be expelled from colleges and universities and sent home.

"The Lahore High Court has extended the stay order preventing the expulsion of over a hundred Afghan medical students from medical colleges until the next hearing," a Lahore court decision seen by AFP said.

Pakistan orders medical institutions to expel Afghan students, halt fresh admissions

The judge, Justice Khalid Ishaq, did not fix a date for the next hearing.

Earlier this month, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) said in a letter to academic institutes that no "form of facilitation of Afghan nationals is permitted for the current academic session".

The PMDC letter to college deans said: "Afghans previously enrolled in medical or dental programs in Pakistan are required to return to Afghanistan."