Punjab govt’s decision to cut GB seats in medical colleges rejected

GILGIT: The Punjab government’s proposal to cut the MBBS seats for GB students in the province’s public sector medical and dental colleges has been opposed by opposition lawmakers and students.

They threatened that if the decision was not overturned, a protest call would be delivered around the land.

The Punjab government recently cut reserved seats for GB students from 64 to 60. in the province’s medical and dental colleges.

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PML-N GB Assembly member Ghulam Mohammad said the decision of the Punjab government to cut GB students’ medical seats was unjustified.

He demanded that the GB Chief Minister take up the matter with his counterpart from Punjab.

He said the previous governments of PML-N, PML-Q and PPP in Punjab had raised the seats of GB students in medical schools, but the ‘chosen’ PTI government discriminated against GB students.

PPP lawmaker Sadia Danish said the verdict was an infringement on the future of GB.

She said students of GB medicine and engineering had to study in other provinces as there was no medical and engineering college in the city.

She said that recently, under the leadership of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the Sindh Government of PPP had increased GB medical and engineering seats in the province.

The decision to reduce MBB seats in Punjab, Ms Danish said, showed that the PTI government was not involved in solving the problems of the GB people.

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Meanwhile, GB students have launched a social media initiative on the topic with the hashtag #restoreMBBSseatsforGBians.

“Reducing the number of seats allocated to Gilgit-Baltistan students in medical colleges across Punjab is a regrettable and shameful act that is strongly condemned,” GB student Naveed Ali Shamoon said.

As GB lacks higher education institutions, we are compelled to pursue education in the other cities of Pakistan. The already reserved seats for GB students have been reduced, he regretted, instead of offering us medical and engineering colleges.