Daily Times

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) to conduct the MDCAT examination again within two weeks for admissions to medical colleges.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that children’s future must be safeguarded, and all relevant aspects must be considered.

Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz added, “Tell the students to focus on their studies and not get caught up in these issues.”

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz heard the intra-court appeal filed by the university against the single bench’s decision to retake the MDCAT exam.

The petitioner’s lawyer informed the court that every student was awarded six grace marks and that the single bench had directed PMDC to review the results and upload the questionnaire and results on the website, which has been done. Islamabad has a total of 150 seats, 50 for medical and 100 for dental colleges.

The Chief Justice inquired, “The question remains: why were complaints against 31 questions addressed by raising only 25?”

PMDC’s lawyer explained that the 25 questions were flagged following two separate reviews.

The Chief Justice questioned, “Do you determine passing or failing based on marks or percentage?” The university registrar responded that the passing criteria were 50%, a standard practice globally.

The court noted, “If 18 out of 200 questions are excluded, 182 remain, making the passing marks 90.” The PMDC lawyer added that retaking the MDCAT in Sindh resulted in complaints from students as the exam was more challenging the second time.

The High Court ordered, “We direct that the MDCAT exam be conducted within the next two weeks without further delay.”

Last week MDCAT was reconducted across Sindh as per court orders on Sunday. MDCAT 2024 entrance test was organized by IBA Sukkur in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana and Sukkur simultaneously, in which more than 38,000 candidates including 12,000 from Karachi appeared for 854 seats.

Last Sunday, the MDCAT 2024 exam was reconducted across Sindh, following court directives. Organised by IBA Sukkur, the entrance test was held simultaneously in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, and Sukkur. Over 38,000 candidates, including 12,000 from Karachi, appeared for 854 available seats.

Parents expressed frustration as the test began two hours later than scheduled. However, candidates were satisfied with the arrangements, noting that the paper was not leaked this time, unlike previous instances.

Section 144 was enforced around the examination centres, while traffic police managed the flow of vehicles on University Road, despite parents parking haphazardly.

Strict measures were implemented to ensure the organised movement of candidates at centres in NED University and the University of Karachi.