BANNU: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Bannu, has postponed the Secondary School Certificate Second Annual Examination in North Waziristan due to the security situation while a curfew has also been imposed in the district’s Mir Ali area.

The postponement of the exams was announced in a press release by the BISE on Nov 9, following the North Waziristan deputy commissioner’s instructions.

A revised schedule for the examinations would be announced later, the press release said, adding that examinations at centres set up at Cadet College Razmak and in Bakakhel tehsil would be held as per schedule.

In North Waziristan, this is the second time that these exams — scheduled to start on October 12 — have been postponed. They were initially postponed last month, not just in North Waziristan but also in Bannu, Lakki Marwat.

Meanwhile, a curfew was imposed in areas from Bobali and Mir Ali up to Isha, an official statement by the district administration said. The curfew would remain in place until the completion of an ongoing security operation in these areas.

The Bannu-Miranshah Road will also remain closed for traffic during this period.

Area Representative and Development Council member Malik Rohullah Khan said the general officer commanding north had issued instructions for the curfew. However, he added, residents had been allowed to visit markets for the purchase of essential daily-use items in Miranshah and Datta Khel on his request.

He further stated that residents wishing to travel outside North Waziristan could use the Miranshah, Isha and Razmak routes.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including North Waziristan, has been facing security challenges for a long time.

Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Muzak village, on the southern outskirts of Mir Ali on Monday and neutralised two terrorist hideouts, the military’s media wing said the previous day.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, security forces recovered a huge cache of prepared improvised explosive devices, explosive preparation material, weapons, and ammunition from hideouts, which were established inside mosques.

On Oct 8, the state media reported that the troops had killed nine terrorists in another IBO in North Waziristan.

According to statistics released by the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, KP recorded 40 terrorist attacks in October, compared with 58 in September, representing a decline of 31pc. Fatalities from these attacks decreased from 90 to 38, a reduction of approximately 58pc, while injuries fell from 165 to 19, an improvement of 88pc.

As per the report, the erstwhile Fata region experienced a comparatively modest decline in terrorist violence. The think tank recorded 30 attacks during October, compared with 34 in September, a reduction of 12pc.