Maryam Nawaz’s Jhelum visit: Exam postponement costs DC his job

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Sunday ordered the removal of Jhelum deputy commissioner after he ordered the postponement of intermediate examinations in the district due to her scheduled visit, saying the papers would be held on November 10 as originally planned.

In a post on X, Maryam said that she had explicitly instructed the district administrations to ensure that her visits did not cause any inconvenience or disruption to the public.

“Despite my explicit instructions that no inconvenience or disruption whatsoever should be caused to the public during my visits to the districts, such an incident has nevertheless occurred,” she said.

Calling it a clear disregard for her directions, the chief minister announced that the deputy commissioner had been removed from the post with immediate effect.

In a separate post, Maryam said the examinations would take place according to the original schedule on Tuesday, November 10, despite what she described as “acts of foolishness or misplaced over-smartness” by the district administration.

“Notwithstanding any acts of foolishness or misplaced over-smartness on part of the district administration, the examinations shall be held strictly in accordance with the original schedule,” she said.

Exams postponed over CM’s visit

The development came after the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Rawalpindi postponed the Computer Science papers of the Intermediate Second Annual Examinations 2026 scheduled for November 10 in Jhelum district.

The board had fixed November 30 as the new date for both morning and evening sessions following a recommendation from the Jhelum deputy commissioner, who cited administrative and security arrangements for the chief minister’s expected visit to Jhelum and Pind Dadan Khan on the same day.

In a letter to the BISE Rawalpindi chairman, the deputy commissioner said extensive administrative, security and protocol arrangements were being made for the visit, making it difficult to ensure the smooth and uninterrupted conduct of the examinations.

The letter requested that the papers be postponed to avoid inconvenience to students and facilitate the arrangements for the chief minister’s visit.

Acting on the recommendation, the board issued a notification rescheduling the Computer Science papers in Jhelum district for November 30.

BISE Rawalpindi officials clarified that the examinations in other districts falling under the board’s jurisdiction would proceed according to the original schedule.

The revised date applied to both morning and evening groups at their previously assigned examination centres.

Maryam’s latest directive means students in Jhelum will now sit the Computer Science papers on November 10, in line with the original examination schedule.