Several Afghan Doctors, Students Detained in Pakistan
Afghan doctors undergoing specialist medical training in Pakistan say several of their colleagues and Afghan students have been detained by Pakistani police.
They said that on Monday, four Afghan doctors and 10 Afghan students were arrested in Punjab.
Enayatullah Momand, an Afghan doctor in Pakistan, said: “Doctors were detained from hospitals in Bahawalpur and Sahiwal. One of them remains in custody, while the others may be deported to Afghanistan today.”
Another Afghan doctor, who requested anonymity, told : “If this situation continues unresolved, we fear that other Afghan doctors working in different provinces and hospitals, as well as Afghan students, could also face deportation.”
They also said that some hospitals have barred Afghan doctors from entering their workplaces and continuing their training.
Afghan doctors in Pakistan have also complained about delays in visa issuance and called on Pakistani authorities to facilitate the visa process for Afghan doctors and students.
Azizullah Zirak, an Afghan doctor in Pakistan, told : “Another problem we face in Sahiwal is that four Afghan doctors, including myself, have been prevented from continuing our specialist training. We are not allowed to enter the hospital or even the dormitory. We possess all the required legal documents, including documents related to our visas, and have submitted applications to renew them. Unfortunately, our visas have not yet been issued. We ask the authorities to issue our visas so we can complete our specialist training and then return to serve our people.”
Noor Ahmad Omar Khil, another Afghan doctor in Pakistan, said: “For the past five to six months, since political relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan deteriorated, doctors’ visas have not been renewed, creating serious difficulties for us.”
Pakistan has given Afghan nationals without valid visas until July 10 (19 Saratan in the Afghan solar calendar) to leave the country. Those who fail to do so face detention and deportation.
