LAHORE - A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar observed that the Supreme Court would pay fee of two students who could not continue their medical education due to financial constraints despite meeting the criteria for admission.
The chief justice was hearing a suo motu case involving fee structure of private medical colleges at the Supreme Court Lahore registry. Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik and Justice Ijazul Ahsan were the other members of the bench.
During the hearing, Advocate Aziz Chughtai appeared before the court on behalf of the students who belonged to Multan. He said Fatima-uz-Zahra, daughter of Muhammad Aqeel, former additional superintendent of Multan’s Nishtar Hospital, could not continue her medical education because she could not pay her fee due to delay in release of her father’s pension.
He said another student, Ameer Hamza, met the criteria for admission to the medical college but he could not secure his admission due to financial constraints.
The lawyer said that colleges demanded huge fees, which the students could not afford. He pleaded to the court to help the students get admission. On this, the chief justice asked him whether the students were admitted on merit.
The lawyer said they met the criteria for admission to the medical college on merit but could not secure admission due to financial constraints. “Had her father’s pension been released, she would have secured admission,” the lawyer said. On this, the CJP observed that if the students meet the criteria and they cannot pay their fee, the Supreme Court will pay their fee.
A representative of the Pakistan Medical Association told the court that they wanted an impartial, fair and transparent PMDC. He said that instability of PMDC was damaging. On this, the CJP observed that it was the LHC, which set aside the council as the relevant law had lapsed. However, the chief justice said that they had taken up the matter last month and now the things were falling in place.
