President PMDC Defies Minister’s Directives, Protects Blue-Eyed Officials

Writer: Nadeem Choudhry

Islamabad, July 11, 2025 – A major crisis has erupted inside the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) as its President, Rizwan Taj, openly defies explicit directives of the Federal Health Minister. His refusal to act on long-pending cases has raised grave questions about corruption, nepotism, and the collapse of accountability in Pakistan’s top medical regulator.

According to sources, a high-level meeting was held on July 7, 2025, between the Federal Health Minister and the PMDC President to review delayed recognition cases of several medical and dental colleges. What emerged from the meeting has shaken confidence in the Council’s integrity.

The most blatant case concerns Azra Naheed Dental College, which successfully cleared its inspection on September 17, 2020. Instead of notifying the recognition, the PMDC deliberately concealed the report from the Ministry, the courts, and the college itself.

“This concealment has caused gross injustice to the college and its students, jeopardizing their futures,” confirmed a senior Ministry official.

The Health Minister ordered the PMDC President to launch an inquiry and submit a report within 30 days, identify those responsible for not proceeding with the recognition notification and concealing the “pass” report from courts, and take disciplinary action against them. But even after the deadline lapsed, no inquiry has been initiated. Sources allege that Rizwan Taj is determined to shield his “blue-eyed” officers, whom he illegally reinstated against the law and without any legal authority, and they now risk exposure if inquiries move forward.

Another scandal involves Rashid Latif Khan University Medical College. An official inspection had granted the college over 90 percent marks, but PMDC suppressed the report and instead engineered a dubious order for re inspection. Shockingly, instead of appointing a proper team of inspectors, the Registrar of the PMDC conducted the inspection despite having no legal authority to do so.

Unsurprisingly, this illegal inspection was never processed, leaving the college in limbo and forcing yet another re-inspection. The Minister again ordered a probe, but once more, the President did not proceed with the inquiry.

Repeated attempts to obtain Rizwan Taj’s explanation for defying ministerial directives have gone unanswered. Insiders say his silence is not negligence but a deliberate attempt to stonewall inquiries and protect his clique inside the Council. “This is nothing short of defiance of the Minister and has to have consequences,” remarked an observer while the injustice to institutions continues.

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