Afghan women studying medicine in Pakistan are facing uncertainty and fear after a directive ordered Afghan medical and dental students to return home, potentially ending years of education for those who cannot continue their studies in Afghanistan.
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) issued the directive earlier this month, telling medical and dental institutions that Afghan students already enrolled in programmes must return to Afghanistan. The move has triggered legal challenges, with students seeking permission to complete their degrees.
A medical degree suddenly at risk
For many female students, returning to Afghanistan could mean the end of their medical education. Women and girls in Afghanistan have been barred from university education and medical training under Taliban restrictions.
One final-year student, identified by the BBC by the pseudonym Nooria, said she had spent years studying after leaving Afghanistan and feared that returning home would make those sacrifices meaningless. Other students told the BBC they were struggling to concentrate on their studies because of the uncertainty surrounding their future.
Human Rights Watch said the directive particularly threatens Afghan women students because returning to Afghanistan could prevent them from completing their medical and dental education.
Court offers temporary relief
A Lahore High Court order temporarily halted the implementation of the directive for students in Punjab. The students have argued that they should be allowed to sit examinations, attend classes and complete their courses.
The PMDC has said registration requirements are at the centre of the dispute. Students, however, say registration was handled by their institutions and that many were admitted through scholarship programmes involving Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission.
The issue comes amid a much wider return of Afghans from Pakistan. UNHCR reported hundreds of thousands of returns in 2026, adding pressure to Afghanistan’s already fragile humanitarian situation.
For the students, the immediate concern is simple: whether years spent preparing to become doctors will be allowed to reach completion.