Police in Pakistan’s Punjab province have detained 11 Afghan doctors and medical students who were pursuing specialised and medical training at various medical universities and teaching hospitals across the province.
Among those detained, 10 doctors were enrolled in specialist training programmes at Quaid-e-Azam Medical College and Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur district, where they were arrested.
Another doctor, named Noorullah, was detained from Sahiwal Teaching Hospital in Sahiwal district. According to fellow doctors, he was arrested while he was inside the operating theatre; police removed him from the theatre and took him into custody.
A list of the detained doctors, along with videos and images of the arrests, has also been obtained.
The doctors say they entered Pakistan legally through the Punjab Residency Programme and were engaged in specialist medical training. However, after their visas expired, their renewal applications have remained pending despite submitting all required legal documents for visa extensions.
According to the doctors, during the arrests, police only told them that they had received orders from senior authorities to detain Afghan nationals.
A request for comment regarding the arrests was sent to Azma Bukhari, Punjab’s Information Minister, but she has not provided a response so far.
The arrests come after Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior issued a directive on June 28 instructing provincial governments to detain Afghan nationals after July 10 if they do not possess valid residency documents or if their visas have expired.
However, the doctors said that over the past six months, following deteriorating relations between Pakistan and the Taliban, Afghan students have faced increasing pressure and their visas have not been renewed.
They stressed that their specialised and medical education should not be interrupted and that they should not become victims of political disputes. They also called on the Taliban to engage with Pakistani authorities to resolve the visa and educational challenges they are facing.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
