Pakistani court rules MDCAT question paper retrieval illegal — The Express Tribune
The Lahore High Court in Pakistan has declared illegal and unconstitutional the decision by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to collect examination question papers from candidates after the MDCAT medical and dental college admission test. The court ordered the council to upload the materials to its official app without delay so that all participants can review them, The Express Tribune reports.
Lawsuits by test participants
Justice Ahsan Raza Kazmi granted the petitions of Anabia Tahir and Rehan Shahid, who challenged the PMDC's new practice. Their lawyer, barrister Imran Afrasiab, said that participants have the right to keep examination question papers after completing the exam. According to him, this practice is used in schools, colleges and universities.
Afrasiab argued that this year the PMDC unilaterally introduced a rule requiring candidates to return question paper sheets along with answer sheets immediately after testing. Federal government representative Malik Zahir Arshad partially supported the petitioners' position, while the council's lawyer insisted that the petitions be dismissed. The court ordered the decision to be implemented immediately.
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Temporary protection for Afghan students
Separately, the Lahore High Court extended a temporary ban preventing medical colleges in Punjab province from expelling students from Afghanistan. Justice Khalid Ishaq heard petitions by more than 30 Afghan students against their expulsion from medical colleges.
A PMDC representative requested that the hearing be postponed, and the court granted the request, extending the temporary protection. The students said they had entered medical colleges under the quota for Afghan refugees and were admitted based on competitive selection results. In a notice dated September 1, the PMDC instructed Punjab colleges to require Afghan medical and dental students to arrange documents for returning to Afghanistan, and also suspended future admissions, transfers and academic migration of Afghan citizens. On September 11, the court had already barred colleges from expelling these students.
