Daily Times

In preparation for the medical entrance tests, mobile and internet services will be suspended around examination centres in Punjab and Peshawar, following directives from the Interior Ministry and the respective provincial authorities.

The Punjab government, upon recommendation from the Interior Ministry, has instructed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to suspend mobile and internet services within a 500-meter radius of 26 examination centres. The location coordinates of these centres in Punjab have been sent to the PTA for suspension of mobile and internet services.

These centres are located in 12 districts, including Lahore, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Sahiwal, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujrat, and Rahim Yar Khan. The entrance test for medical colleges in Punjab is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 22.

In Peshawar, similar arrangements have been made for the medical entrance test, which is also set for Sunday.

The vice chancellor of Khyber Medical University (KMU), Prof Dr Ziaul Haq, chaired a meeting to finalize the arrangements, which included representatives from the district administration, police, and other relevant departments. Six examination centres in Peshawar have been designated for the test, where strict security protocols will be enforced.

To ensure the integrity and security of the exam, several items, including mobile phones, watches, calculators, pens, pencils, jewellery, and ATM cards, have been banned within the test centres. Mobile phone service around the centres will also remain suspended.

Additionally, each test centre will be supervised by a senior police officer of SP rank and an assistant commissioner. The students will be frisked in three stages, while security measures will include body searches using metal detectors and biometric verification of candidates through NADRA’s system.