FAISALABAD, April 23 Distribution of Class-IX stolen papers of physics and Islamiyat (optional) among the students will cost the Faisalabad Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education dearly as the Punjab government has cancelled the examination of both papers.

The government has asked the board officials to make arrangements for fresh examination of both papers. Thousands of students of group first would take the exam afresh.

A handout issued by the BISE read “The exams of physics and Islamiyat (optional) would be held on May 20 and candidates would be issued new roll numbers.

The board would also allot new examination centres because intermediate students are appearing in exam these days.”

Sources told Dawn that the ill-intention of the BISE officials would incur financial burden on the board which had to spend hundreds of thousands of rupees on publication of question papers, their transportation to banks, and expenses of the examination centres. They said this time the board officials were being strictly monitored by the provincial government.

Although distributory inspector Munir Jehan had informed board acting chairman Khadim Hussain and controller Zafar Iqbal about the incident, those very papers were given to the candidates which had gone missing.

This paper published a story that the board officials had distributed `stolen papers` among thousands of students on April 8.

Sources said the Punjab government had also ordered an inquiry into the matter and a team of the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Faisalabad, had visited the board office on Wednesday and grilled the employees of different departments.

They said some board officials would be taken to task for concealing the issue and using the stolen papers.

They said the officials questioned why the board chairman did not change the bank branch when he was informed that question papers had been stolen from the National Bank`s Noorpur branch on April 8.

Meanwhile, an inquiry into the issue constituted by the board concluded that not a single member of the board was involved in the papers` stealing.

The inquiry team was formed by the board when second time unidentified people had taken away question papers of general science, mathematics and chemistry.

The committee, sources said, had obtained the statements of all examination centres` officials attached with the bank.

The centres (for boys) whose superintendents and the deputies were grilled included the Madina College of Commerce, Millat Chowk; the Workers Welfare School, Johar Colony; the Sandal College, Millat Road; the MC High School, Hajiabad; and the MC High School, Gulistan Colony.

The girls` centres were 122-JB Girls High School; the Gulistan Colony school; the College for Women, Gulistan Colony; the MC Girls High School, Hajiabad; and the Workers Welfare Girls High School.