LAHORE, June 27: The University of Health Sciences undertook in the Lahore High Court on Friday not to examine the students of Fatima Memorial College of Medicine and Dentistry on June 28.

The full bench, headed by Justice Tassadaq Hussain Jilani, was informed by the college counsel Munib Iqbal that he had received a letter from the UHS registrar announcing that students of the college would take the BDS first-professional examination on June 28 under the auspices of UHS on a provisional basis.

The counsel further informed the court that the UHS registrar had justified the examination on a provisional basis by saying that the affiliation committee was currently processing the case of college’s affiliation with it. He requested the court to take notice and grant relief to students accordingly.

Justice Jilani asked the UHS counsel Najamul Hassan Kazmi to give an undertaking that the UHS would not hold the examination on June 28 since the matter was subjudice. The counsel accepted the court’s directions submitting that he would advise the UHS management to refrain from implementing any such orders. “I want to assure the petitioners on behalf of the UHS that it is fully conscious of their anxiety and would not proceed in a manner that might cause them hardship.”

The court further issued notice to the King Edward Medical College and Fatima Jinnah Medical College on the petition of Fatima Memorial students against their exemption from affiliation with the UHS, notified by the Punjab government the other day. It was alleged that this act of the Punjab government was discriminatory to Fatima Memorial students and violative of Article 25 of the 1973 constitution.

To a court query, the UHS counsel confirmed that Pakistan Medical and Dental Council president Dr Zafar Hayat was also acting as the UHS vice-chancellor on Dec 2, 2002, when he issued a directive for compulsory affiliation of all medical colleges with the UHS. However, the counsel claimed that Dr Hayat had quit the office of UHS honorary vice-chancellor before the UHS was recognized by the PMDC on May 20, 2003.

Earlier, counsels for the students of other medical colleges completed their arguments against the colleges’ compulsory affiliation with the UHS, adopting the arguments made by the counsel for Allama Iqbal Medical College students, Aitzaz Ahsan.

As many as 139 students of Nishtar Medical College, Multan, have also filed a petition against the affiliation of their college with the UHS.

Punjab Advocate-General Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi would make his submissions on June 30.