The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Bannu and the Dera Ismail Khan education board have postponed their matric examinations that were originally scheduled to run from October 7 to October 10, 2026. The decision was announced in an official notification issued on October 3. For the Dera Ismail Khan board, the exams have now been rescheduled to begin on October 12, 2026. BISE Bannu, which covers Bannu district, Lakki Marwat district, and North Waziristan district, did not specify a new start date in the notification, saying a revised timeline would follow. The boards cited three main reasons for the postponement. First, they pointed to the prevailing security situation in the region, which they said made mass public gatherings and student movement to exam centers risky. Second, they noted an active suspension of mobile phone and internet services within their jurisdiction. Third, they said this telecom blackout had disrupted the delivery of essential exam materials, including roll number slips and official duty letters, to examination centers. The boards said that, taken together, these circumstances would have made it difficult to conduct the exams in a smooth, fair, and transparent manner. The postponement affects both the SSC Annual-II examinations and the Oriental Languages Examination 2026. Both boards have instructed all affiliated schools, examination staff, and other stakeholders to proactively communicate the postponement to students and to await further notifications regarding the revised exam schedule.