LAHORE, April 21: The management of the Al-Huda Medical College has shut down the institute and allegedly slipped away after fleecing hundreds of students in the name of offering quality medical education. The unrecognized and unaffiliated private college was operating in Lahore for the past several years.

Around 300 students of the institution on Thursday staged a protest demonstration in front of the college building on the Peco Road.

They told Dawn that the college management had closed down the campus due to which their fate hangs in the balance. A police contingent remained present during the protest to guard against any untoward incident.

A police official told this reporter that no student had yet got a case registered and the department would adopt an appropriate course of action soon after a complaint would be lodged.

It is pertinent to mention here that the University of Health Sciences had last year directed the Al-Huda and four other private medical institutions to close down their operations on the pretext that they were operating in contravention of the Section 37 (1) of the UHS Ordinance 2002.

The university had served notices on the principals of the Al-Huda Medical College, Lahore; University of Lahore’s College of Medicine and Dentistry, Lahore; Independent Medical College, Faisalabad; Bhutta Medical College, Faisalabad; and the M.A. Jinnah Medical College, Sargodha.

In the letters sent to the principals of each ‘illegally-run’ medical college, the UHS registrar had stated: “Your medical college is not affiliated with the UHS, which is a mandatory requirement under section 37 (1) of the UHS Ordinance 2002. You are operating the college in contravention of the Section 37 (1) of the UHS Ordinance and, therefore, directed to close down the medical college under intimation to the university.”

A UHS official told Dawn that these medical colleges had kept their students in the dark by making false statements regarding their recognition and affiliation status.

As regards the Al-Huda, the official said no official of the college had ever visited the university for explaining its status or even for queries. “This college remained ‘suspicious’ for the UHS from day one,” he observed.

The official also claimed that the Lahore High Court chief justice had taken a suo motu notice and barred the college from making further admissions.

It may be mentioned that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council had already taken a stand that the students studying in unrecognized medical and dental colleges were not the council’s responsibility. It further clarified that it was the responsibility of students and their parents, who did not bother to check whether or not the college was offering recognized medical and dental education.

The affected students said the college management had hoodwinked them and they stood no where even after spending a couple of years and money. They also chanted slogans against the college management.

The police officials said the college campus was locked and no official was available.

None of the college officials was available for comments.