Slug: phc-seeks-government-response-school-collapse-petitions
Category: National
Focus keyphrase: Peshawar school building collapse PHC petitions
SEO title: PHC Seeks Government Reply on School Collapse Petitions
Meta description: The Peshawar High Court has given K-P’s government two weeks to answer petitions seeking an inquiry into the Al-Khair school collapse that killed 31.
Tags: Peshawar High Court, Al-Khair school, building collapse, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, judicial commission, Shuhada Package, school safety, Peshawar
Original element: genuine update — this is a new judicial development on the Oct 15 tragedy: the PHC has now formally taken up the PHC Bar Association’s petitions and set a two-week deadline, building directly on our own inquiry-report coverage linked below.
PHC Seeks Government Reply on School Collapse Petitions
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 within a fortnight.
The court was hearing two petitions filed by the Peshawar High Court Bar Association and lawyer Usman Alam. The petitioners asked the court to declare that the respondents’ failure to ensure the safety of the school building and protect students’ lives violated various constitutional provisions.
The petitions seek orders for immediate compensation and benefits equivalent to the Shuhada Package for the legal heirs of every deceased student, along with free medical treatment and appropriate compensation for the injured.
Judicial commission demanded
The petitioners also called for the formation of a judicial commission, within a timeframe set by the court, to determine the cause of the collapse, fix responsibility on officials, owners and school management, and produce its findings.
The move follows the inquiry report into the tragedy and adds judicial weight to the demand for accountability. The petitioners further 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 asked the court to direct authorities to submit a comprehensive report identifying unsafe buildings and the corrective measures taken so far.
They also sought orders for the formulation, notification and strict enforcement of a Safe Schools Policy, with mandatory minimum standards for school buildings — including seismic resistance, fire exits, firefighting equipment, evacuation drills and periodic third-party inspections.
Negligence alleged
PHC Bar Association President Aminur Rehman Yousafzai and lawyer Fawad Jan appeared for the petitioners. They told the court that the building of the private Al-Khair Education System near Ring Road collapsed on Oct 15, killing 31 students and a teacher.
The counsel 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.
They alleged that negligence by the authorities led to the tragedy, arguing that no effective check and balance existed for monitoring the buildings of private schools in the province. They also alleged that unregistered schools were operating in streets and neighbourhoods without effective regulatory oversight.
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 collapse had shaken the province and the country.
Citing information in public reports, the petitioners claimed the school building was not constructed or maintained according to approved plans, structural standards, fire-safety requirements or emergency-exit regulations. They questioned whether the school had valid registration, building approval and safety certification, claiming deficiencies had been flagged in the past.
The counsel argued 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 the authorities had not announced adequate compensation for the bereaved families, and that no independent, transparent inquiry had been made public by the time the petitions were filed.
Frequently asked questions
What did the Peshawar High Court order?
A two-judge bench directed the K-P chief secretary and administrative secretaries to submit their comments within a fortnight on petitions seeking a judicial inquiry into the school collapse and Shuhada Package-level compensation for the victims’ families.
What happened at the Al-Khair school?
The private school’s building near Ring Road, Peshawar, collapsed on Oct 15, killing 31 students and a teacher — one of the deadliest school-building disasters in the province’s recent history.
What are the petitioners demanding?
Beyond compensation, they want a court-supervised judicial commission to fix responsibility, a province-wide safety audit of all schools, and a notified Safe Schools Policy with mandatory building standards.
*Source: Dawn, October 22, 2026*
