The Supreme Court on Friday disbanded the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and ordered an interim committee to take charge of its affairs, DawnNews reported.
The seven-member interim committee will be headed by retired Justice Shakirullah Jan. Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf will also be part of the body and will help draft legislation as per the court's order.
The interim committee will have the authority to review and inspect medical colleges, the order said.
Announcing his verdict in court, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said he will monitor the interim setup personally.
A detailed verdict has yet to be released.
“If the PMDC is illegal then it cannot be allowed to continue,” the CJP had observed on Thursday while heading a three-judge bench that had taken up an appeal from the PMDC against a Dec 7, 2017 Lahore High Court decision to dissolve the council and strike down its admission regulations.
Barrister Ali Zafar, the counsel for the Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Institutions (PAMI), had argued that the PMDC council was functioning unlawfully because it had been created under the PMDC (Amendment) Ordinance 2015 which had lapsed on April 25, 2016 and, therefore, all acts done and regulations passed by it were also unlawful.
