Afghan Medical Students, Doctors in Pakistan Face Uncertain Future
With the expiration of the deadline set by the Pakistani government for the departure of some Afghan doctors undergoing specialization and internship training, as well as medical and dental students, concerns over their academic and professional futures have intensified.
Some of them say they were not allowed to continue their training at certain hospitals in Pakistan on Sunday and have called for political issues to be kept separate from education.
Hemat Ali Fayaz, an Afghan medical intern in Islamabad, said: “Under the new decision, all students have been allowed to continue their studies. However, those undergoing internships and specialization training were given until October 10 to leave Pakistan and return to Afghanistan. Today, we are no longer allowed to remain here, and everyone is worried.”
Meanwhile, some Afghan students who received scholarships or educational placements at Pakistani universities based on registration documents or Proof of Registration (PoR) cards say that despite obtaining passports to continue their education, delays in visa issuance and the possibility of deportation have left their academic futures uncertain.
Obaid Agha Elham, an Afghan refugee and medical student in Pakistan, said: “Students without visas must leave the country. Among them are individuals who applied for visas a year and a half ago but have still not received them. Those who were previously registered as refugees have obtained passports, but visas are not being issued to them.”
Sediq Shariati, head of the Afghan Students’ Union in Pakistan, said: “We call on all government authorities in Afghanistan and Pakistan to find a fundamental solution to the challenges facing Afghan students so that they can continue their education peacefully and in a free environment.”
Earlier, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council announced a decision on July 31, 2026, to repatriate some Afghan students and reaffirmed that decision on September 1. On October 6, the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office set October 10 as the deadline for Afghan doctors undergoing specialization training and students covered by the directive to leave the country.
However, three high courts in Pakistan’s Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces have so far granted temporary permission for some Afghan students to continue their education. The Peshawar High Court has also temporarily suspended the deportation of 17 Afghan doctors undergoing specialization training.
