By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has rejected a Human Rights Watch report alleging that authorities had ordered medical and dental institutions to expel Afghan students, saying there was no blanket decision to return Afghan students and that those with valid visas and university enrollment could remain until completing their degrees.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said students enrolled in valid degree programs and holding valid Pakistani visas could continue their education.

“There is no such decision by the Government to return all the Afghan students,” Khan said at a weekly press briefing.

He said students who were not properly registered at a university or did not hold valid visas would be required to leave Pakistan, describing the requirement as standard international practice for foreign students.

Khan referred questions about a letter issued by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to the council itself, while suggesting that some students could have deficiencies in their registration or visa status.

His comments came after Human Rights Watch said Pakistani authorities had directed medical and dental institutions to expel Afghan students and arrange their return to Afghanistan.

The rights group said Lahore’s King Edward Medical University had instructed 20 Afghan medical students, including four women and seven in their final year, to report within 24 hours to complete departure formalities. It also said Pakistani medical institutions had suspended new admissions of Afghan nationals.

Human Rights Watch cited the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan as estimating that about 100 Afghan medical and dental students in Lahore could be affected, including 20 to 40 women.

The rights group warned that returning Afghan women students could permanently end their prospects of becoming doctors or dentists because the Taliban have barred women and girls from universities and medical training in Afghanistan.

Human Rights Watch also argued that Pakistan's obligations under international law require equal access to higher education without discrimination and urged authorities to allow enrolled Afghan students to remain and complete their degrees.

Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans over several decades but has intensified measures to regulate the presence of Afghan nationals amid deteriorating relations with Afghanistan and concerns over militancy originating from Afghan territory.

The government has previously said that Afghans without valid documentation must return, while maintaining that those legally residing in Pakistan can remain in accordance with applicable rules.

The dispute over Afghan medical students highlights the wider challenge facing Pakistan as it seeks to enforce immigration and visa requirements while facing international criticism over the treatment and possible return of vulnerable Afghans.