ISLAMABAD: After multiple Indian drones were shot down in Rawalpindi, the authorities in the twin cities closed all educational institutions till 12th May, whereas the Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education postponed its matric and intermediate exams.
In the capital, internal and external exams, including A and O level papers, will be held as per the announced schedule.
Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, in a notification, said due to the prevailing security situation, all the public and private educational institutions – schools, colleges, universities, and training institutes – within the jurisdiction of Islamabad shall remain closed on May 9 and 10. However, all exams will proceed as planned and shall not be affected by this closure.
Besides, the administration also asked the people to join the Civil Defence as volunteers. The request was also made on the social media platforms of the district administration. The administration asked people if they wanted to become a defender of Pakistan, bring their ID card and visit the deputy commissioner’s office in Islamabad.
According to Dawn.com, the DC Office said that “a few individuals are spreading panic in Islamabad by sounding false sirens”.
“The public is advised to avoid rumors,” the DC said in a post on Facebook. “In case of an emergency, [the] district administration will issue a verified announcement on social and electronic media,” the post said, urging people not to rely on unverified information.
“Action will be taken against those attempting to disrupt peace and order. “No information should be considered valid without confirmation from the district administration; only rely on information from official sources.”
Meanwhile, the capital administration also established a district control room at the Safe City Authority building in Police Lines, Sector H-11, which will function round the clock. The deputy commissioner also held a meeting, attended by representatives of the public and private hospitals. Besides, representatives of Rescue 1122, Civil Defence, Fire Brigade, SNGPL, PTCL and all related agencies attended the meeting. The officials of the Islamabad police, Special Branch, and other law enforcement agencies also participated in the meeting.
In the meeting, all the institutions were instructed to keep their preparations complete as per the ‘war book’. They were also told to make an action plan ready for close coordination in case of an emergency situation.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government also closed schools in the wake of the Indian tensions.
Rawalpindi schools
At the instructions of the Punjab government, the Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education postponed all the papers of Intermediate First Annual 2025 and all the practicals of Matric First Annual 2025, which were scheduled to be held on Friday, May 9.
According to BISE Rawalpindi Chairman Adnan Khan, the new schedule of these postponed examinations will be issued later, and all the candidates will be officially informed about it.
“Candidates are requested to stay in constant touch with the education board website and relevant media outlets to stay informed about the latest schedule and information,” he said.
On the other hand, the Punjab School Education Department issued a notification asking to close all public and private sector schools on May 9 and May 10. However, it said that the A and O-level exams would continue as per their schedule.
[9:08 pm, 08/05/2025] Zaki: According to Dawn.com, the DC Office said that “a few individuals are spreading panic in Islamabad by sounding false sirens”. “The public is advised to avoid rumors,” the DC said in a post on Facebook. “In case of an emergency, [the] district administration will issue a verified announcement on social and electronic media,” the post said, urging people not to rely on unverified information. “Action will be taken against those attempting to disrupt peace and order. “No information should be considered valid without confirmation from the district administration; only rely on information from official sources.”
Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025
