A Private School Association leader has placed responsibility for the collapse of a school building in Peshawar on the school principal and the Private Schools Regulatory Authority. Speaking at the site, Inamullah Khan said the association’s role with the affected school was limited to granting membership.
The roof collapse has killed 35 people, and dozens of injured people are still being treated in hospitals. Several of the injured are reported to be in critical condition.
Association says monitoring fell to the regulator
Khan said the school was registered with the association, but that overseeing schools and keeping checks in place was the job of the regulatory authority. He said the association had not known the building was in a dilapidated state.
He argued that the principal and the authority were to blame, claiming the regulator had not carried out an inspection of the building.
Construction permission and the regulator’s account
Khan also said permission to build a three-storey school in the area where the school stood was not granted. Javed Iqbal, managing director of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Authority (KP-PSRA), earlier said the school had been registered in March 2026.
Regulator says technical staff were absent during inspection
Iqbal said officials had learned during the ongoing investigation that technical personnel were not present when the school was inspected. He stressed that technical officials are essential on inspection visits, as they assess classroom numbers, foundations and overall structural condition.
He said that at registration, classrooms and other facilities are examined, and construction experts are expected to inspect the building and submit a report. Iqbal added that the authority could not shut down an unregistered school under the applicable arrangements.
