Pakistan Moves to Expel Afghan Medical Students

The useful part

© 2014 Razaawais141/Wikimedia Without warning, Pakistan has directed all medical and dental institutions to expel Afghan students and arrange to send them back to Afghanistan. Pakistan's medical institutions have also suspended new admissions of Afghan nationals. Lahore's King Edward Medical University directed 20 Afghan medical students, including 4 women and 7 students in their final year, to report within 24 hours to complete departure formalities.

How it works

• Human Rights Watch has previously documented Pakistani authorities' arbitrary arrests and forced returns of hundreds of thousands of Afghans, many who had lived for decades in Pakistan.
• Click to expand Image King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan.
• The nongovernmental Human Rights Commission of Pakistan estimates about 100 Afghan medical and dental students in Lahore may be affected, including 20 to 40 women.
• Some Afghan students have approached the organization seeking safe shelter alongside legal assistance, as they fear imminent deportation.
• Pakistan is obligated as a party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to ensure equal access to higher education based on ability and without discrimination.

What to take from it

Removing enrolled students just because they are Afghan is contrary to these protections. The United Nations committee monitoring compliance with the treaty has clarified that its protections extend to non-nationals, regardless of immigration status. Pakistan is also bound by the universal principle of nonrefoulement, which...