SRINAGAR: Pakistan’s medical regulator has directed Afghan nationals enrolled in medical and dental programmes in the country to return to Afghanistan and barred educational institutions from admitting new Afghan students, according to local media reports.
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) issued the directive on September 1, according to Arab News, which cited an official document.
The council said Afghan nationals already enrolled in medical or dental programmes in Pakistan must return to Afghanistan. It directed institutions to complete the required administrative formalities and facilitate the students’ departure.
The order further prohibits, until further directions, the admission, placement, transfer, migration or provision of other educational facilities to Afghan nationals during the current academic session.
“The matter is of highest priority and relates to national policy directives,” the PMDC said.
The regulator did not disclose the number of Afghan students currently enrolled in medical and dental institutions in Pakistan. It also did not clarify whether students close to completing their degrees would be exempted from the directive.
The move comes as Pakistan has intensified efforts to repatriate Afghan nationals amid a deterioration in relations with Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 2.6 million Afghans returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan between September 2023 and July 31, 2026.
Islamabad has accused the Afghan Taliban of providing shelter to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters and allowing them to plan and carry out attacks against Pakistan from Afghan territory. The Taliban has rejected the allegations, saying Pakistan’s security problems are an internal matter and denying that such groups operate from Afghan soil.
Relations deteriorated further from late 2025, with dozens of border clashes, Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, including strikes on targets in Kabul and Kandahar, and retaliatory actions that resulted in hundreds of casualties, including civilians.
The continuing tensions have also kept the border between the two countries largely closed for nearly a year, disrupting trade and the movement of people.
Despite several rounds of talks held in different countries over the past year, Pakistan and Afghanistan have failed to reach an agreement to ease tensions. Islamabad has been demanding stronger action from the Taliban against the TTP and assurances that Afghan territory will not be used to launch attacks against Pakistan.
