Students from former FATA and Balochistan have called on the Higher Education Commission to restore the reserved seats that allow them access to medical education, saying the cuts threaten their ability to pursue higher studies. Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club Islamabad, students including Shaukat Ullah, Hizbullah Wazir, Asad, Allah Yar and Rahat Ullah urged immediate action to reinstate the allocation.
The students noted that the total quota of 333 seats earmarked for FATA and Balochistan medical admissions has been reduced this year to 121. Of those announced, 113 seats were allocated to Khyber Medical University and 8 to Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Last year KMU had allocated 149 seats while AJK provided 8.
Delegates pointed out that last year Sindh provided 68 seats but so far this year no seats have been released from Sindh, and Balochistan — which allocated 24 seats last year — has not yet provided any this year. They also accused the University of Health Sciences Punjab of violating the HEC policy by ignoring established standards when assigning seats, a move that has intensified disputes among students.
Highlighting a 2018 policy commitment to double the quota for these regions that has not been implemented, the students emphasized that there is still no medical college in the tribal districts and that the allocated quota is the only effective route to medical education for many. They demanded that HEC immediately restore the 333 reserved medical seats so that students from FATA and Balochistan can continue their studies and contribute as productive professionals to the country.
