Medical students demand restoration of reserved seats

M. Irshad Ullah

PESHAWAR: Medical students from the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have announced plans to launch a protest from Monday against the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s (PMDC) decision to reduce the number of reserved seats allocated to their regions.

Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, student leader Farhan Afridi, accompanied by a group of students, voiced strong opposition to the decision, calling it discriminatory and unjust.

“It is unfortunate that while our regions are prioritized for their minerals and resources, we are ignored when it comes to our right to education,” Afridi said.

He noted that the number of reserved seats for students from the former FATA and Balochistan regions had been gradually increased in recent years but has now been drastically cut.

“The reserved seats had increased to 333 by 2024, but PMDC has suddenly reduced them to 194, citing a 2018 Supreme Court ruling,” he said.

Afridi argued that the ruling is being misinterpreted. “Even in 2018, more than 240 seats were allocated, and from 2018 to 2022, the number was raised to 267. Between 2022 and 2024, it reached 333. Reverting to 194 now is unjustified.”

He warned that students would stage a sit-in outside the PMDC office in Islamabad if the previous quota of 333 seats is not restored by Monday.

“The future of hundreds of aspiring medical students hangs in the balance. If the matter is not resolved, the PMDC and relevant authorities will be responsible for the consequences,” he added.