An inquiry into the Peshawar school roof collapse has held the owner of the institution responsible for using substandard construction material, and has also pointed to negligence on the part of the relevant government departments. The findings were presented on Wednesday to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, who directed that strict action be taken against those found responsible.
What the Inquiry Found
According to an official statement issued by the governor’s office and reported by Dawn, the inquiry report was presented at a meeting chaired by Kundi in Peshawar. The meeting was attended by the governor’s adviser Dr Amir Abdullah, Chief Secretary Dr Fakhar Alam Irfan, Education Secretary Inayatullah Waseem and members of the inquiry committee.
Kundi received a detailed briefing on the causes of the incident, statements of the relevant officials, the responsibilities of various departments, the committee’s findings and its recommendations. The governor was also briefed on negligence by the departments concerned, although the statement did not specify which departments were named or what form the negligence took. He instructed authorities to examine the legal aspects of the inquiry report in consultation with the law department.
The Day of the Tragedy
The Peshawar school roof collapse occurred on Thursday, October 15, at the Al-Khair Education Centre in the Dir Colony area, off Outer Circular Road. Rescue officials said the ceiling of a classroom fell onto students after the roof of the floor above gave way, causing the two storeys to crumble. At least 30 children and a female teacher died, according to Lady Reading Hospital, where 61 people were brought for treatment and 30 were later discharged.
Rescue 1122 spokesman Bilal Ahmad Faizi said teams arriving at the scene found one roof on top of another, with several children trapped inside. Residents who reached the site early described pulling children from rubble with their bare hands, and one parent told Dawn that he had rescued three girls under the age of eight.
Early Official Response
The government acted quickly in the days after the disaster. The provincial chief secretary formed a fact-finding committee, which included the transport secretary and the chief engineer of the communication and works department, and asked it to report within seven days. Kundi announced compensation of Rs1 million for the families of the dead and Rs200,000 for those injured. He also ordered a structural safety audit of educational institutions across the province, and Dawn reported that he directed a crackdown on schools violating safety rules.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sought a report and asked that action be taken against those responsible in accordance with the law. Briefing the prime minister, the governor said the school’s owner had been arrested and an investigation had begun. Unicef Pakistan’s representative offered psychosocial support to affected children and called for urgent action to make sure all schools meet building safety standards and that those standards are strictly enforced.
Why Substandard Construction Material Matters
The finding on substandard construction material points to a failure at the most basic level of building safety. Concrete, steel and masonry that do not meet specified standards can weaken a structure long before any visible damage appears, and buildings that house hundreds of children place an especially heavy burden on those responsible for their quality. The reference to negligence by departments suggests that checks that should have caught such flaws, whether in building approval, inspection or monitoring, did not do so.
Families of the victims have been seeking justice since the tragedy, according to earlier Dawn coverage, and the report is likely to shape both the legal proceedings against the owner and any action against officials. The governor’s direction to examine the legal dimensions of the inquiry report is a necessary step towards turning its findings into charges or disciplinary measures.
What Comes Next
The immediate questions are what the law department concludes and whether proceedings against the owner will be expanded to include officials who failed in their duties. Equally important is the structural safety audit of schools announced after the collapse. Its results will show whether similar risks exist in other buildings across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and whether authorities have the capacity to enforce corrections.
For the bereaved families and for parents across the province, the publication of the findings is only a first step. The test will be whether accountability follows, and whether the Peshawar school roof collapse leads to inspections and standards that prevent a repeat.
Follow SouthAsianDesk on X, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business and current affairs from across South Asia.
