14 May 2004	Friday	23 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, May 13: The HSC annual examinations would be held in two shifts for Science and Commerce group candidates, as scheduled on Friday, senior officials of the Board of Intermediate Education said late on Thursday night.

In view of the strike call given by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the prevailing law and order situation in the city, a number of candidates made telephone calls to DAWN to know about the conduct of examination of Zoology (Science group) and Islamiat (Commerce group) and other examinations scheduled on Friday.

When contacted, BIE chairman Prof Iftikhar Zaidi said that under the given policy, he or the board's examination controller alone could not put off the examination. Only the provincial high authorities could take any decision in this regard, as it involved administrative considerations at the government level as well, he added, saying that the examinations would be held as per the programme announced earlier.

It is likely that over 60,000 candidates would take the examination in two shifts at over 165 examination centres on Friday, while hundreds of male and female teachers and other examination staff, including those involved in supplying question papers to different centres, would also perform their duties, a BIE official said.

Another official at the board agreed that holding of the examination amidst strike call and volatile law and order situation was a a risky business, but the board could be ridiculed for any decision to postpone examination, if things went smooth on Friday.