Peshawar: Police in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have registered a case against the owners, shareholders and construction contractor of a private school after a roof collapse killed 35 people, including 34 children and a teacher, in Peshawar on Thursday. At least 52 others were injured in the tragedy.
The case was registered at Agha Mir Jani Shah Police Station under Sections 148, 149 and 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The First Information Report (FIR) names those associated with the Al-Khair Education System in the Dir Colony area of Peshawar.
According to the FIR, the school was built on 16 marlas of land owned by two individuals, Waheed and Javed. The property was leased in 2024 before construction began.
The complaint alleges that substandard construction materials were used in the building. It also claims that the school administration ignored earlier complaints from students about the deteriorating condition of the walls and roof. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
The school owner was arrested on Thursday, while police said efforts were underway to apprehend the other suspects named in the case.
The provincial government has also initiated a formal inquiry. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary has constituted a two-member committee and directed it to submit its report within seven days.
The committee will examine the building’s structural condition, construction quality and safety arrangements. It will also investigate possible negligence and recommend legal or administrative action against those found responsible.
Provincial Transport Secretary will head the committee, while Jamshed Ali Khan, chief engineer of the Communication and Works Department, will serve as its member, according to sources.
Following the incident, the provincial government announced plans to develop a mechanism for assessing the safety of government and private school buildings across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The government has announced compensation of PKR 10 lakh for the family of each person killed and PKR 2 lakh for each injured student.
The tragedy has renewed concerns over building safety standards in Pakistan, where structural collapses are frequently linked to alleged negligence and the use of poor-quality construction materials.
Several similar incidents have been reported in recent months. In July, three girls were killed when part of a government primary school’s outer wall collapsed in Sindh. That same month, a roof collapse at an under-construction private school in Lahore killed a child and injured five others.
In June, 14 children died when the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed in Lahore. Another school classroom roof collapse in Dera Ghazi Khan district had killed four children and injured 20 people less than two months earlier.
The investigation into the Peshawar disaster is expected to establish the cause of the collapse and determine whether construction or safety violations contributed to the deaths.
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