The death of innocent children, between the ages of four and twelve, under the fallen roof of a tuition centre is not merely a tragic accident. It is a brutal reminder of a deeper national failure, the failure of governance, enforcement, civic responsibility and our collective inability to value human life before tragedy strikes.
Those children were not entering a dangerous construction site, they were going to learn. Their parents trusted that the building around them was safe. They trusted that somewhere, some institution existed whose responsibility was to ensure that no child would sit under a roof that could become their grave.
That trust was betrayed. The uncomfortable question we must ask is, “Who was responsible for ensuring that this building was safe”?
Pakistan is not without institutions. Building control authorities exist across the country. The Capital Development Authority has Building Control Directorates responsible for areas including building regulation and enforcement. Similar responsibilities exist with provincial and city level authorities, such as the Sindh Building Control Authority and the Lahore Development Authority.
These bodies are meant to approve building plans, ensure compliance with construction standards, regulate land use, monitor violations and take action against unsafe structures. The tragedy, therefore, is not simply that laws do not exist.
The tragedy is that laws are frequently reduced to documents, approvals become transactions, inspections become formalities and enforcement often arrives only after lives have been lost, that too for a brief time.
A functioning civilised society does not wait for a building to collapse before discovering that it was dangerous. Around the world, building safety is treated as a continuous responsibility. Buildings are not considered permanently safe simply because they were constructed years ago. Structural integrity, fire safety, electrical systems, emergency exits and public safety standards are periodically reviewed. Authorities maintain records, conduct inspections, hold owners and professionals accountable and remove unsafe structures before they become killing fields.
In Pakistan, however, millions of people live and work inside buildings whose safety status is unknown. Old houses become schools. Commercial activities begin in residential buildings. Additional floors are added without structural assessment. Electrical systems are extended beyond capacity. Fire exits are ignored, construction standards are compromised and when disaster happens, we search for individuals to blame after failing to build a system that prevents such disasters. This is the real crisis of governance. Governance is not merely the existence of departments, offices and regulations. Governance is the ability of the state to ensure that rules apply equally to everyone, powerful or ordinary, rich or poor. The same governance failure appears everywhere in our daily lives. Our roads demonstrate it amply. Traffic rules exist, but enforcement remains inconsistent. Unsafe driving, wrong way movement with impunity, illegal parking and reckless behaviour put thousands of lives at risk every day.
Our electrical infrastructure demonstrates it, too. Wires hanging dangerously across streets, overloaded connections, poorly maintained systems and illegal extensions create hazards that can lead to fires, electrocution and fatalities. Our urban environment is no differenty, with unplanned settlements, blocked drains, overflowing sewage, encroachments, broken roads and poorly maintained public spaces reflect a society where neglect has become normal. The issue is not merely physical infrastructure, it is decline in civic discipline. A nation cannot outsource every responsibility to government, but government cannot abandon its fundamental duty either. A modern state exists precisely because leaving everything to individual choice creates disorder and danger. Civilisation is built on systems, systems that protect citizens even when individuals fail to act responsibly.
Our religion teaches us that cleanliness is half Imaan. But cleanliness is only one dimension of a larger responsibility. Faith must also reflect honesty in construction, concern for neighbours, respect for public spaces and protection of human life. A society cannot claim spiritual strength while tolerating conditions where children study beneath unsafe roofs, patients enter unsafe hospitals and families live inside structures that may collapse without warning. The trauma created by such tragedies is not limited to the families who lose loved ones. It damages society’s collective confidence. Every parent begins to wonder – Is my child safe at school? Is my child safe at tuition? Is the building around us trustworthy? However, collective grief must not become another temporary emotional reaction. We have seen too many tragedies followed by statements, committees and promises, only for the same failures to continue.
This incident should trigger a national programme of action to include, a comprehensive survey of all old and vulnerable buildings, mandatory structural safety certification for schools, tuition centres, hospitals and public use buildings, immediate repair of buildings that can be made safe, demolition of structures that pose a serious threat to human life. The concerned deapartments must maintain digital records of building approvals, inspections and compliance. Professional accountability for engineers, architects, contractors, owners and officials responsible for negligence must be ensured coupled with strong enforcement without political influence or selective treatment.
Parents also have an important role. Responsibility does not end when a child is dropped at a school or tuition centre. Parents must ask questions about safety, approvals, emergency arrangements and the condition of the buildings where their children spend their time. A mature society requires both responsible citizens and a responsible state. The deaths of these children must not be remembered only as another tragedy. They must become a defining moment where Pakistan decides whether it wants to remain a society that reacts after disasters or a nation that prevents them through discipline, accountability and foresight. A collapsed roof is not just a construction failure or neglect, it is a warning. And if we ignore this warning, the next collapse may not only bring down another building, it may further expose the collapse of our commitment to becoming a truly civilised society.
