A magistrate in the Pakistani province of Sind has ordered the immediate closure of all shops offering photocopying services in Lakama district to try to prevent cheating during forthcoming school and university exams.

The magistrate said the ban should prevent students from copying question papers. Phil Goodwin reports from the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

The attempt to prevent candidates photocopying exam papers in Sind is part of increasingly desperate efforts by officials to try to stop what they call a national trend towards cheating.

During exam weeks there are almost daily reports of question papers being sold outside schools and colleges or of teachers helping students to cheat en masse to help boost local results.

The government in the province of Baluchistan is so worried it approved draft legislation on Tuesday to impose severe penalties for those getting caught.

Under the new law a candidate found cheating or an invigilator found helping them cheat is liable to a five-year prison sentence, or a fine equivalent to $11,000, or 23 times the national average wage.