Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan has demanded an independent MDCAT 2026 retest for the top 100 candidates, writing to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council with a list of alleged irregularities in the medical college entry test in Sindh. He has also called for a transparent audit of more than Rs1.26 billion that he says was collected in examination fees.
The letter, addressed to PMDC President Dr Rizwan Taj, asks the council to order an independent body to retest the hundred highest-scoring candidates over claims of mismanagement in the arrangements, objections to the answer keys and possible alterations to results.
Why JI wants an MDCAT 2026 retest
Monem Zafar wants the PMDC to commission an independent review of the complaints students lodged after the test. He has asked for a separate review of the answer keys for Biology, Chemistry and Physics, with complaints concentrating on paper codes A and D, along with an investigation into allegations that results may have been changed. He has also demanded a public account of the money collected for the examination, claiming that more than Rs1.26 billion was taken from candidates as fees.
The letter further questions the decision to put IBA Sukkur in charge of conducting the examination. Monem Zafar argues that the instruction requiring candidates to hand back their question papers after the test raised more concerns about transparency. Independent News Pakistan first reported the letter’s contents.
Centre arrangements under fire
The letter says around 9,500 candidates in Karachi were accommodated at only two centres, both on University Road, while Peshawar had 19 centres and Lahore had six. Candidates were forced to travel long distances and waited up to eight hours in hot weather.
When the MDCAT 2026 began across Pakistan, organisers had promised smooth arrangements nationwide, but the Karachi centres drew particular criticism from parents and students.
Suspicion deepened after the Sindh results: no candidate from Karachi made the top 20, while 18 Karachi candidates appeared in the top 100 and five from Tharparkar figured in the top 20. The highest score of 179 out of 180 went to a candidate from Shikarpur.
Health ministry probe already under way
The JI demands land while a federal inquiry is already moving. Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal had earlier directed the PMDC to investigate complaints about MDCAT 2026 in Sindh, with a report sought within 15 days.
The ministry’s letter sets out five areas for investigation. Those areas include a centre-wise analysis of candidate numbers, marks, pass rates and the distribution of high scores, with any unusual variations between centres to be examined. The ministry also asked investigators to secure attendance sheets, seating plans, centre records, result data and invigilation arrangements, and to look into complaints of procedural irregularities, impersonation, leakage or technical failures. A report has been sought within 15 days.
Notably, the ministry’s letter does not order a cancellation of the examination, a retest or a revision of results. PMDC officials have said the council’s internal scrutiny found no anomalies and that it would seek a joint review with the Sindh authorities. The News detailed the ministry’s five-point directive.
Wider exam scrutiny
The MDCAT 2026 controversy is not the only examination under scrutiny this year. Questions over unfair marking and opaque answer keys have hit other boards too, and efforts to digitise marking are still in early stages, as seen in the Lahore Board’s e-sheet marking pilot. Confidence in results has also been shaken by broader questions about standards, which surfaced when the 9th class result in Punjab exposed deeper problems in the system.
JI’s Karachi leadership has run several public campaigns this year, including the Gaza march staged in the city this week, and the party has framed the MDCAT issue as another example of Karachi students being short-changed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the JI demanding?
An independent retest for the top 100 MDCAT 2026 candidates, a review of the Biology, Chemistry and Physics answer keys, an investigation into alleged result alterations, and a transparent audit of more than Rs1.26 billion in examination fees.
Who received the JI letter about MDCAT 2026?
The letter was addressed to PMDC President Dr Rizwan Taj.
What are the main complaints about the MDCAT 2026 centres?
Two centres for around 9,500 Karachi candidates compared with 19 in Peshawar and six in Lahore, waits of up to eight hours in hot weather, questions over IBA Sukkur conducting the test, and candidates being asked to return their question papers.
