Stopping Afghan Students Studying in Pakistani Medical Colleges from Education Is Regrettable; Decision Should Be Reviewed Immediately: Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party

Education Should Not Be Made a Punishment for Political and Diplomatic Tensions; Afghan Students Should Be Allowed to Complete Their Degrees

Preventing Young People from Becoming Doctors Is a Great Loss to Humanity’s Future and Regional Peace: Central Statement

Quetta (Daily Qudrat Quetta): The Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PkMAP) has expressed serious concern and regret over the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s directive barring Afghan students studying in Pakistani medical and dental colleges from continuing their education and instructing them to return to Afghanistan, and has demanded that the decision be reviewed immediately and that already-enrolled Afghan students be allowed to complete their education.

The Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party said that centuries-old historical, geographical, cultural, linguistic, and human ties exist between the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which should not be affected at the cost of the future of students studying in educational institutions on the basis of temporary political tensions or diplomatic differences.

The party said that Afghan students took admission in Pakistani medical and dental colleges through legal means, paid fees and other educational expenses, and dedicated several precious years of their lives to becoming doctors and dentists. Forcing such students to leave their education incomplete and return suddenly is tantamount to causing severe harm to their years of hard work, financial resources, and future. Especially depriving students in their final years and nearing examinations of education would be equivalent to wasting their entire academic career.

The Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party made it clear that education cannot be made a punishment for political differences, diplomatic tensions, or immigration policies. If there is an issue regarding any student’s visa or other legal documents, it should be resolved through a humane, legal, and fair procedure. All already-enrolled Afghan students should be provided appropriate legal and interim protection until they complete their degrees, and no student should be deprived of education during the academic year merely on the basis of nationality.

The party demanded that the Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, and relevant authorities, keeping in view the individual circumstances, educational stage, and legal status of the affected students, give them the opportunity to complete their education, provide them the right to explain their situation and effective representation and appeal, while the Government of Pakistan and Afghan authorities should, through mutual consultation, formulate a clear, transparent, and workable policy for the completion of education of existing students and future admissions.

The Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party said that education is an effective means of pulling young people out of poverty, backwardness, extremism, and violence. Giving Afghan youth the opportunity to become doctors, engineers, teachers, and other experts is important not only for Afghanistan but for the peace, development, and human welfare of the entire region. Preventing a student from becoming a doctor is not merely an educational decision but is tantamount to halting a young person’s future, a family’s hope, and a society’s potential service.

The Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party urged the government to view the matter of Afghan students on humanitarian, educational, and legal grounds and to immediately review the current decision and give them the right to complete their education. The historical relations between the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan demand that the burden of differences and tensions not be placed on the future of students; instead of making education a punishment for political circumstances, it should be made a means of peace, humanity, mutual respect, and a bright future for the region.