British Council suspends exams in Lahore due to escalating tensions

The British Council has cancelled all scheduled afternoon examinations in Lahore on Thursday, citing heightened security risks amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan.

The decision affects GCE, IGCSE, IELTS, and University of London assessments set to take place in the city’s venues during the PM session.

In a statement released on social media, the British Council said the move was made in coordination with examination boards to “prioritise the safety and security of candidates.”

Students have been urged to stay in touch with their schools for further updates, while private candidates are advised to contact the British Council’s Customer Services centre.

The organisation did not confirm whether the exams would be rescheduled but noted that all official updates would be provided through its verified channels.

Lahore, among other cities, has been placed under heightened security alerts, with intermittent flight suspensions also reported.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz declared a state of emergency in the entire province. She directed all security institutions, including the police, to remain on high alert.

The chief minister cancelled the leaves of doctors and other medical staff of all hospitals in Punjab and directed all employees to resume their duties immediately.

She also directed the district administrations across Punjab to remain on high alert.

Latest tensions between Pakistan and India

The latest escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan follows the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which resulted in 26 fatalities. India immediately accused Pakistan-based elements of orchestrating the attack, although no evidence was provided. Islamabad has strongly rejected these allegations.

In retaliation, India closed the Wagah land border on April 23, suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, and revoked Pakistani visas. Pakistan responded by labeling any disruption to water flow as an "act of war" and closed the Wagah crossing on its side.

The situation escalated further on Wednesday, as reports from various cities in Pakistan, including Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Muridke, and Bahawalpur, detailed multiple explosions. Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, confirmed that Indian airstrikes had targeted multiple locations within Pakistan. In response, Pakistan launched swift air and ground operations.

Within the first hour of retaliation, Pakistan announced the downing of five Indian fighter jets, including four Rafale aircraft, which India had recently acquired from France to strengthen its air defenses following the failed Balakot operation in 2019.

"Pakistan could have shot down 10 Indian fighter jets," Lt Gen Chaudhry said during a press briefing. "But Pakistan chose to exercise restraint."

Despite the scale of the response, Indian media remained largely silent on the losses. The Hindu, a prominent Indian newspaper, initially reported that three Indian jets had been downed but later removed the article, likely under pressure from the Indian government to avoid further embarrassment.

An American commentator on CNN stated that the potential loss of Rafale jets would severely damage India’s claim to air superiority, which 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, particularly after Pakistan acquired J-10C jets from China in response to India’s Rafale fleet.

A senior French intelligence official confirmed to CNN that one Rafale jet had indeed been shot down by Pakistan, marking the first time that this sophisticated French aircraft had been lost in combat.

In another development, the Pakistan armed forces confirmed the neutralization of 25 Israeli-made Harop drones used by India in recent cross-border activity.

A statement issued by Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday confirmed that these drones were shot down using both electronic countermeasures (soft-kill techniques) and conventional weaponry (hard-kill systems) after they were detected flying over multiple areas across Pakistan.

The ISPR described the drone incursions as a "desperate and panicked response" by India, which came after Pakistan’s retaliatory operations on May 6 and 7, in which five Indian fighter jets were downed and several military posts were struck.