Time is running out for Poonch Medical College in Rawalakot, where a two-month-long shutdown has pushed roughly 500 aspiring doctors to the brink of losing an entire academic year. With a hard deadline of August 10 looming, the district's top administrator is making a public plea for community intervention before the situation spirals into an educational catastrophe. Main Developments Deputy Commissioner Syed Mumtaz Kazmi issued an urgent appeal on Saturday, urging civil society, elected representatives, and influential community members to help restore operations at the institution. The college has been forced to suspend all academic and administrative activities due to the ongoing security situation linked to the Joint Awami Action Committee's (JAAC) sit-in at a nearby Eidgah. Read also: Balochistan farmers block highway over irrigation water cutoff The sit-in organizers have reportedly established checkpoints on roads leading to the college, with armed and stick-wielding individuals conducting illegal checks on commuters and pelting stones. This atmosphere of fear has disrupted academic life for the past two months, and Kazmi holds JAAC leaders directly responsible for the situation. Around 500 students across five academic classes are enrolled at the college, hailing from all ten AJK districts as well as Gilgit-Baltistan and various parts of Pakistan. The institution operates under the affiliation of the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, which sets the academic calendar followed by medical colleges nationwide. Background The college's principal has stressed that immediate reopening is essential to allow students from distant regions to complete their biometric attendance. Only then can a three-day examination be conducted before the Internal Assessment scheduled by UHS on August 15, a timeline that now appears dangerously tight. AJK's two other public sector medical colleges, located in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur, resumed academic activities roughly three weeks ago, creating a widening gap between institutions. The prolonged closure threatens not only the current student cohort but also the college's standing with UHS, potentially leaving Poonch students at least one academic year behind their peers elsewhere. Why It Matters Beyond the immediate academic disruption, the shutdown jeopardizes the proposed nursing college attached to Poonch Medical College. The Pakistan Nursing Council had scheduled an inspection during the second week of August, and any delay could derail the registration process entirely, depriving the district of this vital healthcare training facility. Kazmi warns that continued closure would adversely affect the college's UHS rating, reinforcing doubts about its long-term viability. The stakes extend beyond individual students to the broader healthcare infrastructure of AJK, which depends on these institutions to produce qualified medical professionals for the region. What's Next The district administration wants to convene an urgent meeting with local elected representatives, notables, and other influential figures to formulate a comprehensive security plan. Standard operating procedures and a security framework could be devised to protect the college premises and its approach roads, but implementation requires cooperation from all stakeholders. Kazmi has appealed to the Kashmiri diaspora, academics, and civil society to intervene before August 10. If the situation persists, students may face transfer to other medical colleges, while the nursing college could fail to secure registration—an outcome the deputy commissioner describes as irreparable loss for Poonch district and AJK as a whole.