June 20, 2006	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 23, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, June 19: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) to provide complete list of unrecognised private medical institutions still functioning in the country.

A three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad, also directed the council to conduct a thorough inspection of the Independent Medical College Faisalabad (IMCF) and ascertain whether it fulfilled the criteria laid down by the PM&DC Ordinance 1960. In case the college meets the standards, then recommendations be made to the PMDC council to give it recognition.

If the council refuses to recognise the institution, CJ observed, then there would be no option left but to compensate the students by asking the principal and the management of the college to return the money they received in the shape of fees so that the students could try their luck elsewhere. The college would remain close till the time it was accredited by the council.

PM&DC President Abdullah Jan Jaffar was, however, asked by the bench to conduct the inspection without any pressure.

The bench was hearing a suo motu case on the complaints of IMCF students who had invited CJ’s attention towards the state of affairs in the institution.

A large number of students, both boys and girls, came especially from Faisalabad to witness the proceedings, but left the packed to capacity courtroom with tears, saying the college would never be able to get recognition in a month.

Abdullah Jaffar told the court that the college had been affiliated by the Mohiyuddin University AJK, which had no jurisdiction in Pakistan. “I sympathise with the students and their parents who have been deceived by the management of the college,” he said, adding that the college lacked basic educational facilities.

Senior Advocate Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, representing IMCF, requested the court to allow 29 final year students of the college to take the final examination — a proposal currently being opposed by the council. “If the students failed then they fail,” he observed, adding that mere compensation would not save their future.

“The future of the students is at stake,” he said and deplored that the Ministry of Health should have done something to discourage such state of affairs in the country.