Islamabad: A major controversy has erupted between foreign medical graduates and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), with thousands of doctors claiming that their careers are being blocked due to new policies introduced after they had already started or completed their medical education abroad.
Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, Dr Asif Afridi, Secretary General of Pakistan International Human Rights Movement UN Geneva and spokesperson for Foreign Medical Graduates, described the matter as a serious human rights concern. He warned that Pakistan’s image could be affected if the future of thousands of young doctors remained uncertain.
Dr Afridi said the students were Pakistani citizens who had studied abroad and returned with the intention of serving people in Pakistan. He questioned why medical graduates were being pushed away instead of being supported, adding that medical professionals should not be judged due to political issues between countries.
“The priority should be Pakistan and humanity. Medical service has no borders,” Dr Afridi said, demanding that the authorities resolve the matter instead of creating further difficulties for young doctors.
The dispute involves around 1,200 graduated doctors and more than 4,000 medical students who studied at foreign universities, including institutions in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. The graduates claim that their future has been affected by PMDC notifications issued on September 8, 2025, and July 31, 2026.
According to representatives of Foreign Medical Graduates, many students had joined these universities years before the new rules were announced. They said they selected institutions that were listed and accepted according to the information available from PMDC at that time.
Dr Afridi and other FMG representatives argued that students who enrolled before the new policy should not be punished because of later changes. They said any new law or policy should apply to future admissions and not to students who had already spent years studying abroad.
The main demand of the graduates is permission to appear in the National Registration Examination (NRE) and complete the registration process under previous rules.
The graduates maintained that they were not afraid of examinations and only wanted a chance to prove their medical ability. Dr Waqas Akbar, President of Foreign Medical Graduates Afghanistan, said students were not avoiding the NRE and only wanted permission to sit the examination.
The controversy intensified after PMDC introduced requirements that, according to FMG representatives, affected some foreign medical graduates. They said the policy stopped some graduates from appearing in the NRE and receiving Provisional Registration Medical Practice (PRMP).
The graduates said many of them had already completed their education before the notification. They claimed they had enrolled in 2016, 2017 and 2018, when their universities were available on PMDC information lists and they had received necessary permissions before going abroad.
The matter reached the Peshawar High Court, where affected graduates challenged the policy. Dr Waqas Akbar said the court ruled that students who were already enrolled or had graduated before the notification should not be affected by the new policy.
Advocate Abdul Rahim Wazir also raised legal questions over the PMDC notifications. He said the main issue was whether an administrative order could be applied retrospectively to students who had started their education years earlier.
He said students had spent millions of rupees on their medical education and returned to Pakistan expecting registration according to the existing rules.
Advocate Abdul Rahim said the issue was not only about students but also about thousands of families. According to him, around 5,000 families were connected with these doctors and students, whose careers and dreams were now uncertain.
Dr Afridi said the matter had also been raised internationally. He stated that FMGs may approach international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and UN Human Rights platforms, if the issue remained unresolved.
The FMGs also rejected claims that all foreign universities were poor-quality institutions. They questioned why universities were allowed earlier if students were later blamed for studying there.
Dr Adnan, former president of AFMG, questioned why students were allowed to join universities if those institutions were already considered unacceptable. He asked why such universities were placed on approved lists in the first place.
The graduates also highlighted examples of doctors who studied at similar institutions and are now working as professors in Pakistan. They mentioned Dr Jan Zeb, Assistant Professor at HMC Pediatrics, and Dr Zahid, Associate Professor in Neurosurgery at LRH, as examples of foreign-educated doctors serving in Pakistan.
FMG representatives also questioned why some graduates from the same universities received opportunities while others faced restrictions. Dr Waqas cited the example of classmates who studied together, graduated together and applied together, but some received PRMP while others did not.
The graduates further argued that some foreign-educated doctors had passed international examinations, including pathways connected with global medical organisations, and questioned why they were not being allowed to appear in Pakistan’s own licensing examination.
The FMGs have demanded withdrawal of the disputed notifications, protection for students who enrolled before the policy change, permission to sit the NRE and completion of registration without discrimination.
The group appealed to the President of Pakistan, Prime Minister, Federal Health Ministry, Parliament, PMDC, judiciary and human rights organisations to intervene and find a permanent solution in accordance with law.
The dispute remains a major challenge for thousands of young medical professionals who say they only want one opportunity: the right to appear in the examination and prove themselves.
