Maryam Nawaz Removes Jhelum Deputy Commissioner After Exam Postponed for Her Visit

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has removed the deputy commissioner of Jhelum from his post after intermediate examination papers in the district were postponed to make way for her own scheduled visit.

The computer science papers for the Intermediate Second Annual Examinations 2026, which were due to be held on Tuesday, 10 November, will now go ahead on the original date, the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Rawalpindi has confirmed.

The episode has turned into a public lesson in how not to run a VIP visit — and a warning from the chief minister to every district officer in Punjab that shutting down normal life for a leader’s tour will cost them their job.

What happened in Jhelum

On Sunday, 8 November, Maryam Nawaz announced on X that Jhelum Deputy Commissioner Mir Raza Ozgen was being removed from his post with immediate effect.

The reason was simple. The district administration had postponed the computer science papers for intermediate students in Jhelum because the chief minister was due to visit the district on Tuesday, 10 November — the same day the papers were scheduled.

The papers had been deferred on the recommendation of the deputy commissioner himself. In a letter to BISE Rawalpindi, Ozgen wrote that, because administrative and security staff would be busy with the chief minister’s visit, “it is not feasible to ensure the smooth and uninterrupted conduct of the said examination in the district.”

He asked the board to postpone the examination and reschedule it for “another suitable date to avoid any inconvenience to students and ensure the smooth conduct of both the examination and the VVIP visit.”

There was a second letter, too. Dated 6 November, it advised the BISE chairperson to change one of the examination centres — Government Comprehensive School in Jhelum — because of the “VVIP visit” and possible traffic congestion.

The chief minister was not impressed. Sharing the letters on X, she said she had given “explicit instructions that no inconvenience or disruption whatsoever should be caused to the public during my visits to the districts.”

“This is a clear disregard for my directions,” she wrote, announcing the removal.

In a follow-up post, she was blunter still: “Notwithstanding any acts of foolishness or misplaced over-smartness on part of the district administration, the examinations shall be held strictly in accordance with the original schedule, i.e. Tuesday, 10th November.”

The exams are back on — today

BISE Rawalpindi moved quickly to undo the postponement. Mubashir Saeed, the board’s Controller of Examinations, said the competent authority had rescinded the decision to postpone the morning and evening computer science papers for the Intermediate Second Annual Examination 2026 in Jhelum district.

Both papers will now be held on Tuesday, 10 November, at all examination centres in the district, exactly as the original datesheet said. The board confirmed that the papers “will not be postponed at any examination centre in the district.”

For the students, that means the uncertainty is over. They will sit their papers today, as they had prepared to do all along.

A transfer notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department directed the removed deputy commissioner to report to the department for further orders. A later notification named his replacement: Asma Ijaz, a BS-19 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, has been transferred and posted as the new deputy commissioner of Jhelum.

A warning to every district officer in Punjab

Maryam Nawaz did not stop at removing one officer. In another post on X, she issued instructions to all regional and district police officers, as well as commissioners and deputy commissioners across the province.

No market, shop, business or any other establishment, she said, “shall be closed or asked to suspend its operations on account of my visit.” No residential streets will be blocked or sealed, and no restriction will be placed on the movement of residents “under the pretext of security arrangements.”

“Please ensure that all security measures are discreet and do not cause any inconvenience, disruption, or hardship to the general public,” she wrote, adding that the instructions must be “followed in letter and spirit.”

“Failing to comply will result in strict action.”

Why this story matters

At first glance, this looks like a small administrative row in one district. In fact, it touches on something Pakistanis deal with almost every day: the cost of VIP culture.

What is a deputy commissioner?

A deputy commissioner, or DC, is the most senior civil servant in a district. The DC runs the district administration, coordinates the police and other departments, and is responsible for everything from law and order to development work and, during examinations, making sure papers are held smoothly and fairly.

The DC’s office is the link between the provincial government and the people of the district. When a chief minister or another senior leader visits, it is the DC who organises the arrangements — the route, the security, the venue and the protocol.

That power is exactly why the Jhelum case matters. The DC’s job is to make the visit work around the public, not to make the public work around the visit.

What are second annual examinations?

The papers at the centre of this story are part of the Intermediate Second Annual Examinations 2026 — the second round of exams held each year by the boards of intermediate and secondary education.

The first annual examinations are the main exams, held earlier in the year. The second annual examinations are for students who could not pass one or more subjects in the first round, or who want to improve their marks. For many of these students, the second annual exam is their last chance to move on to the next stage of their education without losing a full year.

That is why a postponement is not a small matter. Students plan their revision around a fixed datesheet. Families arrange travel to examination centres. A sudden change — especially one made for a reason that has nothing to do with the students — can throw weeks of preparation off balance.

The old habit of shutting cities down

Anyone who has lived in a Pakistani city knows the pattern. When a senior leader visits, roads are blocked, markets are told to close, and ordinary people are kept waiting for hours while a convoy passes. Schools and examination centres near the route are sometimes shut or moved.

Officials often defend these steps as necessary for security. But the Jhelum case shows the other side of the argument: the security arrangements themselves became the disruption. The DC’s own letter said staff would be too busy with the visit to run the examination — in other words, the visit was being treated as more important than the exam.

The chief minister’s response turns that logic on its head. Her message is that the visit must fit around normal life, not the other way around. By removing the DC publicly and in writing, she has made an example of the exact behaviour she says she wants to end.

Whether the warning sticks is another question. Instructions like these have been issued before, by different governments, and VIP protocol has a habit of returning. What is different this time is that an officer has actually lost his post over it — and the chief minister has put the instruction in writing, addressed to every commissioner, deputy commissioner and police officer in the province.

What happens next

Three things will show whether this was a one-off reaction or a real change in how VIP visits are handled.

First, today’s papers. The computer science examinations in Jhelum are being held on 10 November as originally scheduled. If they pass off smoothly, the students lose nothing — and the episode ends as a scare rather than a disruption.

Second, the chief minister’s visit itself. Maryam Nawaz is due in Jhelum today. If markets stay open, streets stay open and residents move freely, her own instructions will have been followed in the very district where they were broken.

Third, the rest of Punjab. The written instruction now applies to every district. The next time a senior leader’s visit is planned, district officers will know that closing a market or postponing an exam could cost them their job. The test will come the next time a visit and a public event collide.

For now, the students of Jhelum can at least be sure of one thing: their exam is happening on time, and the official who tried to move it for a VIP visit is no longer in charge of the district.

Frequently asked questions

Why was the Jhelum deputy commissioner removed?

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz removed Mir Raza Ozgen from his post on 8 November after it emerged that intermediate computer science papers in Jhelum had been postponed because of arrangements for her scheduled visit to the district on 10 November.

Are the Jhelum exams still happening?

Yes. BISE Rawalpindi has confirmed that the morning and evening computer science papers for the Intermediate Second Annual Examinations 2026 will be held on Tuesday, 10 November, at all examination centres in Jhelum district, as per the original datesheet.

Who is the new deputy commissioner of Jhelum?

Asma Ijaz, a BS-19 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, has been transferred and posted as the new deputy commissioner of Jhelum.

What did the chief minister order other officials?

Maryam Nawaz directed all regional and district police officers, commissioners and deputy commissioners in Punjab to ensure that no market, shop, business or establishment is closed because of her visit, no residential streets are blocked, and no restrictions are placed on residents’ movement for security reasons. She warned that failure to comply “will result in strict action.”

What are second annual examinations?

They are the second round of intermediate examinations held each year, for students who did not pass one or more subjects in the first annual examinations or who want to improve their marks.

Sources

• Dawn: ‘Misplaced over-smartness’: Maryam removes Jhelum DC over exam postponement for her visit — https://www.dawn.com/news/2043049
• Dawn: CM removes DC over paper rescheduling; BISE exam in Jhelum scheduled tomorrow — https://www.dawn.com/news/2043228/cm-removes-dc-over-paper-rescheduling-bise-exam-in-jhelum-scheduled-tomorrow
• The Express Tribune: CM Maryam removes Jhelum DC after request to shift exam centre ahead of visit — https://tribune.com.pk/story/2639281/cm-punjab-removes-jhelum-dc-after-request-to-shift-exam-centre-ahead-of-her-visit
• Dunya News: Maryam Nawaz removes Jhelum DC over exam postponement ahead of her visit — https://dunyanews.tv/amp/english/981833.php

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.