A number of Afghan students in Pakistan say restrictions on the issuance and renewal of student visas, along with moves to expel some Afghan medical students from universities in Punjab, have created serious obstacles to continuing their education.
Afghan students say that in previous years, hundreds of students were admitted to universities and colleges across Pakistan, including in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, through the Allama Iqbal Scholarship Programme. However, they say the admission of Afghan students to universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been halted this year.
An Afghan master’s student at the University of Peshawar, who asked not to be identified, said Afghan students had previously been allocated places at 34 public universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This year, however, those places have remained vacant. According to the student, the quota for Afghan students in each programme had already been reduced from two seats to one, but even the remaining seat has not been filled this year.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s medical regulatory authorities have in recent weeks instructed Afghan students studying medicine in Punjab to return to Afghanistan. The decision has raised concerns among Afghan medical students.
Inayatullah Momand, a fourth-year student at Khyber Medical College in Peshawar, said that following tighter restrictions by the Pakistani government, Afghan students are now required to hold valid visas to continue their studies and attend classes. He said his visa extension application has been pending for several months, causing significant stress for him and other students.
Momand also said it had recently emerged that some Afghan medical students were not registered with Pakistan’s medical regulatory body. Students without official registration are not permitted to undertake practical training in hospitals.
According to Momand, a group of Afghan students challenged the decision of the medical authorities at the Peshawar High Court, which granted them temporary protection. However, he said rapidly changing regulations and concerns over the expiry of their legal stay have increased fears of deportation.
Afghan students say the continued uncertainty could seriously disrupt their education, particularly for those in the final years of medical programmes.
Writer:Roya Stanikzai
