Islamabad court temporarily allows Afghan doctor to continue training
The Islamabad High Court in Pakistan has suspended an order to expel Afghan national and doctor Imadud Din, halted his deportation and allowed him to continue his postgraduate medical training. As Dawn reports, the interim decision was issued by Justice Khadim Hussain Somro.
The court heard a constitutional petition filed by the doctor's wife, Mehar Zahur, a Pakistani citizen. She challenged a notification by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) concerning the repatriation of Afghan students enrolled in medical and dental institutions.
Postgraduate training
The petitioner's lawyer, Qasim Nawaz Abbasi, argued that the PMDC notification dated July 31, 2026, could not be applied retrospectively to doctors already undergoing training. According to him, Imadud Din is in the fifth year of the FCPS-II urology programme at Quaid-i-Azam Medical College and Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur.
According to the lawyer, the college's competent authority, acting on the recommendation of the head of department, extended the doctor's postgraduate training from February 28, 2026, to February 27, 2027. He also stated that terminating the training without prior notice and an opportunity to be heard would violate constitutional guarantees.
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The court suspended the PMDC notification only insofar as it concerned Imadud Din and barred the termination, interruption or obstruction of his training solely on the basis of that document. The court also issued notices to the Ministry of National Health Services, the PMDC leadership, Quaid-i-Azam Medical College and the relevant Punjab provincial department.
Ruling by the Balochistan court
On the same day, the Balochistan High Court dismissed two constitutional petitions filed by Afghan students seeking permission to continue their medical and dental education and postgraduate training in Pakistan. A bench comprising Justices Muhammad Aamir Nawaz Rana and Abdul Qayum Lehri upheld the state policy on the residence and education of foreign nationals.
The court noted that foreign nationals do not have an absolute or permanent right to remain, study or undergo professional training contrary to state policy. At the same time, it stressed that Afghan nationals should be treated with dignity, fairness and in accordance with the law.
