Medical courses done in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) will not be accepted in India and people holding such degrees will not be allowed to practise in the country.
This was said by Medical Council of India (MCI), purportedly, to discourage students from Jammu and Kashmir from seeking admission in medical colleges in PoK.
According to a notification issued by Rakesh Kumar Vats, secretary general of MCI, “J&K and Ladakh is integral part of India, and Pakistan is in illegal possession of a part of the territory. Any institution in PoK and PoJKL requires permission for recognition under the MCI Act of 1956. Such permission has not been granted to medical colleges in PoJKL. Therefore, any qualification obtained from medical colleges located in these illegally-occupied territories shall not entitle a person for grant of registration under MCI 1956 Act to practise medicine in India”.
The notification has come in the wake of heightened tension between India and Pakistan over Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 last year.
Pakistan recently released a new political map of Pakistan that showed the entire J&KL as part of Pakistan. The map also included Jonagarg, located in Rajasthan, as part of Pakistan.
The selling of medical seats to students in Pakistan and PoK by separatist leaders recently, was cited as reason by veteran separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to resign from the chairmanship of Hurriyat Conference. Geelani had cited shying away from accountability by the members of the Hurriyat Conference and selling of medical seats to students in Kashmir as reason to dissociate himself from the group, though two of his daughters are also studying medicine in Pakistan.
For years now, Pakistan reserved seats for the children of persons killed in action by security forces in Kashmir. However, both factions of Hurriyat Conference and separatists used the quota to make money.
The Pakistan government recently increased the number of seats in several professional courses for Kashmir students. The move was seen in Kashmir as an attempt by the country to earn goodwill of the people of Kashmir and create issues for India.
