Pakistan Senate Panel Orders Fresh MDCAT 2026 Inquiry as Courts Demand Access to Exam Papers

Health Ministry Given One Week to Review Complaints

Pakistan's Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has ordered the federal health ministry to conduct a fresh investigation into complaints about MDCAT 2026, rejecting an earlier review as unsatisfactory. The ministry must complete the inquiry within one week and submit its findings to the committee.

The directive, reported on October 22, 2026, adds to scrutiny of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test, particularly its conduct and results in Sindh. The province held its examination on September 20, and results announced on September 28 showed no candidate from Karachi Division among the published top 20.

Pakistan Medical and Dental Council officials told senators that no irregularities or anomalies had been identified during the examination. Committee members nevertheless sought another investigation and challenged the council's practice of collecting question booklets after the test, leaving candidates without copies to review.

The dispute now involves three connected decisions: how thoroughly to investigate complaints, how much examination material students should be able to inspect, and what action should follow if investigators find wrongdoing. The Lahore High Court has also intervened, directing access to question papers through the council's official application and requiring papers and their codes to remain online until admissions conclude.

For applicants, the immediate stakes are practical. MDCAT is a required examination for entry into medical and dental colleges in Pakistan. Access to the questions allows candidates to examine disputed items and prepare objections while decisions about admission are still being made.

Why Senators Rejected the Earlier Review

The Senate committee expressed dissatisfaction with the previous inquiry report despite the PMDC's assurance that it had found no examination violations. It directed the Ministry of National Health Services to review the complaints again and return with findings within a week.

Committee chairman Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti had also called for an empowered and independent investigation into concerns raised by students and parents in Sindh, particularly Karachi. He directed the ministry to coordinate with the PMDC and the Sindh government.

The committee's demands extend beyond checking the final list of scores. Its concerns cover examination centres and the process used to prepare results. That puts both what happened in examination rooms and what happened when marks were compiled within the scope of scrutiny.

Chishti has said the test could be held again in Sindh if the investigation establishes negligence or irregularities. A fresh examination therefore remains conditional on the findings; no date for another test has been announced.

What Investigators Will Examine in Sindh

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal separately ordered an inquiry into complaints about the conduct and results of MDCAT 2026 in Sindh. That review was given 15 days to report to the ministry and was to involve the provincial government, the PMDC and the university responsible for conducting the examination.

SIBA Testing Services conducted the September 20 test in Sindh. Investigators were instructed to examine results for individual centres, marks, percentages and pass rates, alongside attendance sheets, seating plans, centre records and the data used to compile results.

Those records answer different questions. Attendance sheets show who was recorded as present, while seating plans identify where candidates were assigned to sit. Centre records can help investigators reconstruct how an examination was managed. Result data allows them to check how recorded performance became the published scores.

The complaints include allegations of question paper disclosure, unauthorised assistance, forgery, administrative negligence and technical problems. The ministry said responsibility would be determined if a technical failure or irregularity was found to have affected the examination. The PMDC was required to provide relevant records covering both the test and the compilation of results.

The absence of Karachi Division candidates from the top 20 prompted public criticism and demands for an investigation. Chishti questioned the outcome and called for an inquiry to determine whether manipulation or malpractice had occurred. Investigators will need to examine the underlying records to explain the results and assess the complaints.

Several Deadlines, With Different Instructions

The fresh Senate instruction sets a shorter reporting period than the 15 days allowed for the inquiry ordered by Kamal. A further direction required the Sindh government to complete its investigation and submit a report within two weeks.

These deadlines attach to different instructions: the Senate panel wants findings submitted to the committee, the ministerial inquiry must report to the health ministry, and the provincial government has been asked to investigate allegations in Sindh. No consolidated timetable or explanation of how the resulting findings will be brought together has been announced.

The main dated events are:

• September 20, 2026: SIBA Testing Services conducted MDCAT in Sindh.
• September 28, 2026: Results were announced, with no Karachi Division candidate in the published top 20.
• October 22, 2026: The fresh Senate instruction was reported, requiring the health ministry to investigate complaints within one week.

The federal government also asked Sindh to conduct an independent and transparent investigation after allegations of a question paper leak circulated on social media. The PMDC wrote to Sindh's health minister seeking an inquiry into those allegations.

Why Access to Question Booklets Matters

The Senate committee questioned why candidates had to return their question booklets after the examination and why the papers had not been made public. Members called for greater transparency in the question bank and examination process to protect selection based on merit.

PMDC officials said the booklets were collected to protect the question bank and prevent candidates sitting examinations in later years from gaining an unfair advantage. A question bank is a collection of questions that an examination body can draw on when preparing tests. Keeping its contents confidential can preserve material for future use.

The committee rejected that explanation. Its objection focused on access to the paper that candidates had already answered. For a student challenging a question, being able to read its exact wording is more useful than relying on memory after leaving the examination centre.

The argument therefore connects examination security with the ability to challenge results. The PMDC sought to preserve questions for future examinations, while senators pressed for candidates to have access to the material needed to examine the fairness of the current test.

Lahore High Court Orders Papers Released

The Lahore High Court has declared the PMDC's collection of question papers after the examination illegal and unconstitutional. Justice Ahsan Raza Kazmi directed the council to upload the papers immediately to its official application so candidates could access and review them.

The ruling followed petitions by candidates Anabia Tahir and Rehan Shahid. Their lawyer, Barrister Imran Afrasiab, argued that students should be allowed to retain examination papers and challenged the council's decision to require their return alongside answer sheets.

Afrasiab told the court that the PMDC had introduced the policy unilaterally that year. He argued that examination authorities could not forcibly retrieve papers after allowing candidates to use them, and pointed to the practice of permitting students to retain papers after school, college and university examinations.

Federal government counsel Malik Zaheer Arshad partially supported the petitioners' position. The PMDC's lawyer defended the policy and asked the court to dismiss the petitions. Justice Kazmi allowed the challenge and ordered immediate implementation of the direction to make the papers accessible.

Access Must Continue Until Admissions End

In proceedings involving petitions filed by Noshaab A. Khan and other applicants, Justice Kazmi also directed authorities to keep MDCAT question papers and their respective codes on the official website until the admission process was complete.

The court said removing the papers could prevent students from raising objections and undermine transparency. Keeping both the papers and their identifying codes available gives candidates a continuing reference while they review questions and pursue concerns through the relevant channels.

The two court directions address related parts of the access dispute. One requires the PMDC to publish papers through its official application after collecting them from candidates. The other requires online access to continue throughout admissions, when objections can still matter to applicants seeking places.

For students, the duration of access is as important as initial publication. A paper that remains available can be checked while an objection is being prepared or considered. The court tied that access to the completion of admissions, rather than allowing the material to disappear while the process was still under way.

Separate Requirement for Overseas Study Withdrawn

The Senate committee also challenged a recently introduced PMDC policy requiring students planning to study medicine abroad to take MDCAT. The council subsequently withdrew the requirement following the committee's intervention.

That decision changes the position of students intending to pursue medical education outside Pakistan. They are no longer required to sit MDCAT under the policy challenged by the committee. MDCAT remains a mandatory admission requirement for medical and dental colleges within Pakistan.

The overseas policy withdrawal is a completed decision, while the examination complaints are still subject to investigation. For candidates affected by the Sindh results, the next substantive development is the fresh inquiry's findings and any action ordered in response. Chishti has linked the possibility of another examination to evidence of negligence or irregularities.

The immediate tasks are therefore specific: the ministry must deliver the review sought by senators, the examination records must be examined, and authorities must comply with the court's directions on access to papers. Together, those steps will shape how candidates can challenge the examination and how officials respond to their complaints.

Key Points

• The Senate health committee ordered a fresh MDCAT 2026 inquiry within one week after rejecting an earlier review as unsatisfactory.
• PMDC officials told senators that no irregularities or anomalies had been identified.
• The Sindh review covers examination records, result compilation and allegations including paper disclosure and unauthorised assistance.
• Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti said MDCAT could be held again in Sindh if negligence or irregularities are established.
• The Lahore High Court ordered access to question papers and directed that papers and codes remain online until admissions conclude.
• The PMDC withdrew the challenged MDCAT requirement for students planning to study medicine abroad.