A trader counts Pakistani rupee notes at a currency exchange stand in Peshawar, Pakistan December 3, 2018. REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has dismissed a series of petitions filed by students of Sindh medical colleges, who had sought permission to pay their tuition fees in Pakistani currency after securing admission under the foreigner/foreigner quota.
A three-member FCC bench headed by Chief Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan heard the petitions.
During the hearing, the students’ lawyer, Shahab Sarki, argued that the students were admitted under the overseas quota by the universities themselves, despite the fact that they had completed their entire studies in Pakistan.
He claimed that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had posted show-cause notices on its website instead of properly serving them to students, and that universities had forcibly placed students under the foreign quota.
The students’ lawyers argued that students should not be penalized for the universities’ mistakes, adding that they could only be adapted at other universities.
PMDC lawyer Jahangir Jadun informed the court that the students had themselves applied for admission under the overseas quota. He claimed that students and universities were responsible for admissions with an incorrect quota.
“The students were admitted to medical colleges under the overseas quota in the academic year 2022-23. After paying their fees in foreign currency for two years, they approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) for permission to pay their fees in local currency.
“However, the SHC rejected their requests,” he said. After hearing arguments, the FCC upheld the SHC and denied the students’ appeals.
The foreign quota in Pakistani medical colleges reserves a percentage of seats (around 5-15%) for international students or overseas Pakistanis.
It allows students to apply with foreign qualifications such as SAT-II or MCAT/UCAT, often requiring higher dollar fees, and creating a separate merit list for these applicants to ensure dedicated opportunities for non-Pakistani nationals in public and private institutions.
These admissions are regulated by the PMDC, the regulator of medical education in Pakistan.
