PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and relevant officials to respond to petitions seeking a transparent inquiry into the recent Peshawar school building collapse and compensation for the victims’ families under the Shuhada Package.

A bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Farah Jamshed directed the respondents, including the chief secretary and several administrative secretaries, to submit their comments about the pleas within a fortnight.

The court was hearing two petitions filed by the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) and lawyer Usman Alam, who asked it to declare that the respondents’ failure to ensure the safety of the school building and protect students’ lives violated various constitutional provisions.

The petitioners sought orders for the immediate provision of compensation and benefits equivalent to the Shuhada Package to the legal heirs of every deceased student, along with free medical treatment and appropriate compensation for the injured students.

They also called for the formation of a judicial commission within a timeframe set by the court to determine the cause of the building collapse, fix responsibility on officials, owners and school management and produce its findings.

The petitioners also sought a province-wide structural, fire-safety and building-compliance audit of all public and private schools by qualified engineers and fire-safety experts and requested the court to direct authorities to submit a comprehensive report identifying unsafe buildings and highlighting corrective measures taken to date.

They also sought orders for the formulation, notification and strict enforcement of the Safe Schools Policy and mandatory minimum standards for school buildings, including seismic resistance, fire exits, firefighting equipment, evacuation drills and periodic third-party inspections.

PHCBA President Aminur Rehman Yousafzai and lawyer Fawad Jan appeared on behalf of the petitioners and told the court that the building of a private school, Al-Khair Education System, near Ring Road collapsed on Oct 15, killing 31 students and a teacher.

They said the incident required an investigation to determine responsibility, review the roles of the relevant institutions and introduce effective measures to protect children in educational institutions.

The counsel alleged that negligence by authorities led to the tragedy as an effective check and balance didn’t exist for monitoring buildings of private schools in the province.

They also alleged that unregistered schools were operating in streets and neighbourhoods without effective regulatory oversight.

Mr Yousafzai said some private schools operated in rented buildings, so effective measures were required to ensure structurally safe premises and a secure learning environment.

He said the school building collapse had shaken the province and the country.

Citing information available in public reports, the petitioners claimed that the school building was not constructed or maintained according to approved plans, structural standards, fire-safety requirements and emergency exit regulations.

They questioned whether the school had valid registration, building approval and safety certification, claiming that deficiencies were properly flagged in the past.

The counsel argued that the tragedy pointed to broader weaknesses in the regulatory framework governing school registration and inspection, approval and monitoring of building plans, land-use compliance and administrative oversight.

They also complained that authorities hadn’t announced adequate compensation for the bereaved families, while no independent, transparent inquiry had been made public by the time the petitions were filed.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026