Prioritise Sindh’s students for reserved seats: SHC

Objections raised over appointments of PMC members

The students of Sindh should be given priority in admissions to medical colleges and universities on reserved seats in the province, remarked the Sindh High Court on Tuesday.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, who headed the two-member bench hearing a plea pertaining to differences between the Sindh government and Centre regarding entry tests for Bachelors of Medicines, Bachelors of Surgery (MBBS) programmes, made the remarks.

The counsel for the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), however, argued that objections could be raised of over prioritising students from Sindh for reserved seats as the requirement for domicile to gain admission into medical colleges and universities had been removed.

"Then will the students of Sindh get admission in the medical colleges of Punjab, and those from Punjab, in the medical colleges of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa?" commented Justice Mazhar.

On objections raised over the prime minister's authority to restructure the regulatory body, the counsel maintained that the premiere had been allowed to do so through an act of parliament. He went on to say that the objections raised on the appointment of PMC members were also invalid.

"But this is a matter of the violation of basic rights and laws," argued assistant advocate general Barrister Shehryar Mehar.

He maintained that MBBS admissions was a provincial matter, in which the federal government was interfering.

He also asserted that the students of a province had the first right to get admission in medical colleges and universities there.

At this, Justice Mazhar enquired whether Sindh a separate system for the admissions.

"Sindh has a separate system, as well as a separate syllabus," replied the assistant advocate-general, however, adding that the syllabus for FSc had been changed in the province following the Covid-19 outbreak.

"This means that the new syllabus will be taught next year onwards," the court observed. "Why didn't the Sindh government send it representative for the preparation of the syllabus?" he questioned.

The assistant advocate-general told the court that the Sindh had challenged the establishment of the PMC. "How could it have sent a representative to devise a syllabus under the PMC?" he said.

He further objected to the inclusion of "irrelevant persons" in the PMC.

In response to these argument, deputy attorney-general Kashif Paracha termed the objections raised by the Sindh government on the PMC "baseless."

"Their representative was invited by the Sindh government didn't bother to participate [for devising the syllabus]," he said.

He argued that the plea was filed by five universities but their claims were "not genuine". Paracha maintained that the appointment of PMC members was based upon merit.

Following this, the court adjourned the hearing until November 11.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2020.