Pakistan has no nationality-based ban on medical students, PMDC says

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has imposed no restrictions on Afghan students or students of any particular nationality seeking medical education in the country, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council said Thursday.

The council said its rules and visa requirements applied equally to all foreign students, without discrimination based on nationality.

More than 200 Afghan medical students have been identified in Pakistan, but only 22 are legally registered with the PMDC, according to the council.

Of those registered, 14 have completed their medical education, while eight are expected to graduate next year.

The records and documents of the remaining 176 students are being verified, the PMDC said.

It stressed that obtaining a medical degree alone does not grant a person the right to remain in Pakistan or practise medicine there. Graduates seeking to practise must obtain a PMDC licence and hold a valid visa, it said.

The council said students who are not registered cannot be considered legal students under Pakistan’s medical education system.

It added that affected students were being facilitated in completing required documentation and, where necessary, making an orderly and dignified return.

The PMDC said Pakistan welcomed foreign students who met all applicable legal and regulatory requirements.