Pakistan, Sept. 11 -- Thirteen Afghan medical students on Thursday filed multiple petitions before the Lahore High Court (LHC), challenging directives from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) that ordered their return to Afghanistan.

The petitioners, comprising seven women and six men, filed the petitions through Advocate Asad Jamal. They were enrolled at different institutions in Lahore, including King Edward Medical University, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical & Dental College and the Services Institute of Medical Sciences.

The petitioners said they were removed from their colleges on PMDC's instructions, with the council acting as the top regulatory body under the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Act 2023. The...