The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday directed the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) to present arguments on November 22 in a petition challenging national Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) and examination regulations.
A single member bench of IHC comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb of IHC heard the petition filed by the MDCAT students against test results.
At the outset of hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer argued that the students who studied abroad would be considered foreign degree holders. This rule was also for MDCAT, PMDC, BDS and MBBS as well, he added.
The court asked whether there was any quota for overseas Pakistanis to this the lawyer answered in yes. The court asked the lawyer if he was overseas Pakistani then he also had to appear in MDCAT test for medical admission.
The lawyer said thousands of students wanted to appear in MDCAT but they were not being provided opportunity. The PMC’s lawyer said soon arrangements would be made in Pakistan embassies abroad for overseas Pakistanis.
The petitioners’ counsel said that the test was taken in a marquee in Islamabad and results were received after two hours through E-mails. He PMC had not denied these results in its answer, he added.
The court sought arguments from PMC and adjourned the case till November 22.
Meanwhile, the IHC sought report from Pakistan Agriculture and Research Council (PARC) on a petition challenging reinstatement of employees’ services on instructions of Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the case filed against the restoration of employees. The chief justice remarked that without legislations, the Parliament could not pass an order against the court’s verdict. Justice Minallah observed that the PARC was unable to pay even the pensions to retired employees but it had restored the terminated staff. What the PARC had written in joining orders of employees, the bench asked.
The PARC’s lawyer adopted the stance that his department had no authority to restore the employees against the judgments of this court. The court sought report from chairman PARC and adjourned hearing of the case.
