Accreditation dispute leaves 28 NCA Rawalpindi architecture graduates in professional limbo

Islamabad: A major controversy has emerged in Pakistan’s architectural education sector as 28 graduates of the Bachelor of Architecture Batch 2019–2023 from the National College of Arts (NCA), Rawalpindi Campus, remain without accreditation from the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP), according to official records and communications. Despite completing all academic requirements, including final thesis juries held in January 2024 and degrees conferred by 31 January 2024, these graduates have been unable to register as professional architects, raising questions about procedural lapses and institutional accountability.

The graduates, backed by parents and guardians, assert that the non-accreditation is not due to their negligence. The college submitted all required documentation and paid approximately Rs. 1.8 million in accreditation fees, which PCATP accepted. PCATP representatives attended the final juries and display days, confirming the batch’s compliance with academic standards. Meanwhile, graduates from the Lahore campus for the same year, as well as subsequent Rawalpindi batches, have been accredited, leaving only this batch professionally stranded.

Parents and family members have highlighted the mental and emotional toll of the situation, pointing to severe career uncertainty and stress for the 28 affected students. Families say several graduates are facing significant difficulties due to the prolonged administrative impasse despite successfully completing all academic requirements.

PCATP officials later argued that the accreditation process was initiated “too late,” after graduation. However, this claim contradicts the fact that their representatives were present at the January 2024 juries and final display days. Students and guardians maintain that the delay stems from institutional procedural lapses, not student fault.

The legal battle escalated when 28 affected graduates filed a constitutional petition (W.P. No. 1558/2026) in the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, on 29 April 2026. The petition, filed on behalf of all affected students, challenges how PCATP exercised its authority, asserting that denying accreditation infringes Article 18 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to enter any lawful profession.

In the petition, legal counsel M. Arshad Majeed Malik emphasized that the graduates’ rights were curtailed not by any deficiency in qualifications, but by administrative opacity and procedural mismanagement between NCA Rawalpindi and PCATP. The High Court has issued notices to the Federation of Pakistan, NCA, and PCATP, seeking responses and parawise comments within four weeks.

The unresolved accreditation has left the 28 graduates professionally immobilized, unable to seek employment, pursue further studies, or register as architects. Families have urged immediate dialogue between NCA and PCATP, alongside an internal inquiry into administrative failures, stressing that students should not bear the consequences of systemic procedural lapses.