LAHORE: For Palestinian student Mustafa Abushaban, arriving in Pakistan two years ago was marked by the pain of being separated from his family for a second time. Now, as he prepares to leave the country, Abushaban fears he will once again experience the heartache of saying goodbye to a country he has grown to love.
Abushaban was among 51 Palestinian students from Al-Azhar University in Gaza who graduated from The University of Lahore’s (UOL) dental college on July 23 after completing their final subjects and clinical training.
The Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) Palestinian students had completed the remaining part of their education that had been disrupted by Israel’s war in Gaza, at the University College of Medicine and Dentistry (UCMD), a constituent medical and dental college of the UOL.
UOL welcomed its first group of Palestinian students in October 2024 under the G-HOPE initiative— a collaboration involving international humanitarian partners and Pakistan-based charity Alkhidmat Foundation.
Speaking to Arab News on Friday, Abushaban said he was first separated from his father, who remained in Gaza while he went to Egypt. He was separated from his family a second time when they remained behind in Egypt while he came to Lahore for his studies in 2024.
“But once we arrived here, alhamdulillah, we found another family,” Abushaban said. “We found people like us and respect us, so it got easier day by day.”
The 25-year-old completed his final year of BDS’ clinical subjects at UOL and fulfilled his clinical internship of one year.
Palestinian graduates of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) program pose for a group photograph during their graduation ceremony at the University of Lahore in Lahore, Pakistan, on July 23, 2026. (Supplied)
Ala Ayad, another graduate from Gaza, recalled how it felt leaving her family behind to continue her BDS studies in Pakistan.
“When I left Gaza during the war, I left all my family behind,” the 25-year-old said. “I kept wondering how I would continue my education and my life.”
Ayad said the fellow students and faculty members at UOL were friendly and helped her settle in a new environment quickly.
She also credited her mother for helping her through the uncertain times.
“Without her, I can’t even imagine that I would have completed my degree,” she said. “This honor goes to my family, especially my mother, who sacrificed so much for me.”
Nermeen Manna, another graduate from Gaza, spent nearly two years in Pakistan studying the final BDS subjects and finishing her clinical internship in Lahore.
She admitted that there were moments when she “really gave up,” but her family’s sacrifices, who wanted Manna to become the first doctor in the family, kept her going.
“If they ask me to repeat this journey a thousand times, I will repeat the same journey at the University of Lahore and in Pakistan,” Manna, 25, told Arab News.
‘SECOND HOME’
Dr. Mahwish Arooj, UCMD principal, told Arab News that making the students feel safe and at ease was important for them.
Arooj recalled that the first batch of students to arrive at UCMD in October 2024 numbered 28. Currently, there are over 100 Palestinian students completing their education at the college.
And as the number of Palestinian students grew, so did the UOL’s attachment with them. Arooj described how the university and students bonded over the years through various activities.
“We have offered Eid prayers. We have gone to food festivals. We have done a lot of social activities so that we can develop a sense of belonging in them,” she said.
“When they left Pakistan, many of them were crying because they felt they were leaving home again.”
Palestinian graduates of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) program arrive at their graduation ceremony in University of Lahore, in Lahore, Pakistan, on July 23, 2026. (Supplied)
Syed Waqas Jafri, secretary-general of the Alkhidmat Foundation, said the organization is helping Palestinian students whose studies were interrupted by conflict to come to Pakistan and complete their education here. He said the organization is helping Palestinian students arrive in Pakistan from Egypt and Jordan as well.
He said the organization is currently helping 288 Palestinian medical students in Lahore and some in Islamabad in completing their education, while 110 students have finished their house jobs in Egypt.
“We are not only supporting them with the collaboration of University of Lahore here in Pakistan but at the same time, we are supporting them in their house jobs in Cairo, Egypt,” Jafri said.
He said the organization aimed to bring 1,000 Palestinian students to Pakistan, with the collaboration of various Pakistani universities.
But what lies ahead for the Palestinian graduates?
Abushaban aims to go back to his country and serve people as a doctor. But leaving Pakistan will be difficult.
“I consider it my second home now,” he said. “I will stay in contact with the people here because they became part of my life.”
Now officially a dentist, Manna hopes to pursue postgraduate studies in Pakistan.
For her, Pakistan is no longer only a country where she studied.
“I don’t consider it a second home,” she said. “I consider it home as well, with the same value as Palestine in my heart.”
