MBBS entrance test challenged in court

Entrance test result linked to court order
Lahore, July 23: A division bench of the Lahore High Court has linked the result of the entrance for admission in MBBS to the final outcome of writ petitions challenging the process of the test.

The court took the decision on Thursday after Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) informed it that the Punjab government was interfering in its affairs regarding the entrance test.

As proceedings started, PMDC registrar Dr Ahmad Nadeem told the bench that the council had issued unified rules and regulations for entrance test in medical colleges throughout Pakistan. The Punjab government and the University of Health Sciences were duty-bund to abide by the rules.

As per PMDC criteria, a student who had passed exams of FSc(Per medical) and obtained 60 per cent marks, was eligible to appear in the entrance test, but the Punjab government had overlooked these rules and held entry test before the announcement of FSc result. He pleaded that the result of the test should be stopped because it would not provide equal opportunities to all students through out Pakistan. He said that, under rules set by the Punjab government, students getting 60 or 65 per cent marks would not be able to sit in the test.

The bench comprising Justice Sh. Azmat Saeed and Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan adjourned the hearing of these petitions for August 19.

These petitions were filed before the holding of entry test but the LHC had declined to issue a stay order against it and the entry test was held by UHS s as per schedule on July 20.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Nazifa Fatima, a student of F.Sc pre-medical, through her counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique. The counsel pleaded that the entrance tests were being held prior to the announcement of the F.Sc result, baring the petitioner from participating in the test.

He said holding the test in such a manner was a violation of fundamental rights as envisaged in the constitution, adding it was also a violation of the mandatory instructions issued by the PMDC.

Counsel further said that all other provinces were having eligible criteria of 60 per cent marks in F.Sc. and passing mark of 50 per cent from in the entry test.

But the UHS and chairman admission board for medical/dental institutions of Punjab without any approval from the PMDC adopted a 60 per cent marks eligibility criteria in year 2009.

He also pointed out that in the same year, the respondents while going a step further and while negating the regulations of PMDC increased the passing marks from 40 to 60 per cent.

Advocate Azhar Siddique requested the court that the criteria for the entrance test given by the respondents should be declared as without lawful authority, as it was in conflict with article 9,25, 37 and 38 of the constitution besides violating the instructions of PMDC.

He said the respondents might be directed to act strictly according to law and follow the criteria for holding the entry test as laid down by the PMDC and directions be issued for holding entry test after the announcement of results of F.Sc.

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