LAHORE High Court Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed on Monday again sought reply from Punjab government by December 9 on a writ petition challenging establishment of four unrecognised medical colleges in the province.
The government was already directed to file reply but it failed to comply with court directions. Justice Saeed observed that Punjab government had already sought a number of adjournments in the case but could not file reply.
Advocate Noshab A Khan filed the petition stating that the government of Punjab inaugurated four medical colleges without fulfilling basic requirements. He said it should have approved recognition of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) for validation of medical qualifications.
He said the government opened these medical colleges in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sahiwal and Dera Ghazi Khan. He said there was allocation of 100 seats in each college and admissions for the academic session 2010-2011 had already been completed. The government remained oblivious despite students’ genuine concerns over not seeking Pakistan Medical and Dental Council recognition, he said.
Advocate Noshab A Khan said that the government needed to seek PMDC recognition with retrospective effect in order to give validation to the qualifications awarded by the aforementioned medical colleges.
Advocate Noshab A Khan submitted that in thesecolleges the qualificationwould be invalid without recognition by the supreme governing body regulating the medial and dental education.
He said the Punjab government did not even bother to apply to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council for recognition till date. As a matter of fact for seeking recognition by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, the government should have fulfilled the eligibility criteria, including college building, qualified faculty, attached teaching hospital, fully equipped laboratory and library, but the newly openedcolleges lacked all these basic requirements.
Advocate Noshab A Khan said the precious academic year of the students was at stake and if the government was not stopped from this illegitimate activity, the students were bound to suffer grave and irreparable loss.
He said the Supreme Court in its judgment had categorically declared fake all the medical and dental colleges lacking Pakistan Medical and Dental Council recognition. He prayed to the court to declare the opening of these colleges as illegal and having no legal authority. He also prayed to the court to stay the functioning of the colleges till final disposal of the petition.
((news;ref:http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=78709&Cat=5)
