The British Council has canceled all scheduled afternoon surveys in Lahore on Thursday and quotes increased security risks in the midst of rising tensions between India and Pakistan.
The decision affects GCE, IGCSE, IELTS and the University of London assessments that will take place in the city’s venues under the Prime Minister.
In a statement released on social media, the British Council said the move was made in coordination with exam board to “prioritize the security and security of the candidate.”
Students have been invited to keep in touch with their schools for further updates, while private candidates are advised to contact British Council’s customer service center.
The organization did not confirm whether the exams would be re -planned, but noted that all official updates would be delivered through its verified channels.
Lahore, among other cities, has been placed under increased safety warnings, with intermittent floating whistles also reported.
Previously, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz declared an emergency throughout the province. She instructed all security institutions, including police, to remain on high alarm.
The Minister of Ministry canceled the magazines from doctors and other medical staff at all hospitals in Punjab and instructed all employees to resume their duties immediately.
She also directed the district administrations across Punjab to remain in high attention.
Latest tensions between Pakistan and India
The latest escalation in tension between India and Pakistan follows on April 22 -attack in Pahagam, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), resulting in 26 deaths. India immediately accused Pakistan-based elements of orchestration of the attack, although no evidence was presented. Islamabad has strongly rejected these claims.
By retaliation, India closed the Wagah Land border on April 23, the Indus Waters Treaty suspended and recalled Pakistani Visa. Pakistan responded by tagging any disturbance of the water flow as an “act of war” and closed the Wagah junction on its side.
The situation escalated further on Wednesday when reports from different cities in Pakistan, including Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Murideke and Bahawalpur, detailed more explosions. Pakistan’s military spokesman, LT Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, confirmed that Indian air strikes had targeted several locations in Pakistan. In response, Pakistan launched fast air and soil operations.
Within the first hour’s retaliation, Pakistan announced the downturn of five Indian fighter jets, including four Rafale aircraft that India had recently acquired from France to strengthen its air defense following the failed Balakot operation in 2019.
“Pakistan could have shot down 10 Indian fighter jets,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said during a press of briefing. “But Pakistan chose to exercise restraint.”
Despite the extent of the reaction, Indian media remained largely silent on the losses. Hindu, a prominent Indian newspaper, initially reported that three Indian jets had been discontinued, but later removed the article, probably under pressure from the Indian government to avoid further embarrassment.
An American commentator at CNN stated that the potential loss of Rafale jet aircraft would harm India’s claim of air superiority, as it had built around the induction of these advanced French warplanes. Some experts speculated that the confrontation served as a test of Chinese and Western military technologies, especially after Pakistan acquired the J-10C jet from China in response to India’s Rafale fleet.
A senior French intelligence officer confirmed to CNN that a Rafale jet had actually been shot down by Pakistan, which first marked this sophisticated French aircraft had been lost in battle.
In another development, the Pakistani armed forces confirmed the neutralization of 25 Israeli -made harrebrones used by India in recent cross -border activity.
A statement issued by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed on Thursday that these drones were shot down using both electronic countermeasures (Soft-Kill techniques) and conventional weapons (hard-kill systems) after being discovered flying across several areas over Pakistan.
ISPR described the drone penetration as a “desperate and paniced reaction” of India, which came after Pakistan’s retaliatory operations on May 6 and 7, where five Indian fighter jets were shut down and several military positions were beaten.
