Dir Colony Carnage: 30 Dead Including 29 Children Today – But Not A Change Even One Percent Since Kahna – Same Roofs, Same Negligence, Same Statements

PESHAWAR.: At least *30 people, including 29 children aged 7 to 13 and one female teacher, were killed and 52 injured today* when the roof of a private Al-Khair Education Trust school collapsed in Dir Colony, Peshawar.

Rescue 1122 officials said the roof of the upper floor, made of mud, _gara_ and wooden _garder/balay_, collapsed onto the first floor where 110 children were in classes. Visuals showed rescuers pulling bloodied children with bare hands from rubble. 28 bodies were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital, 2 to Naseerullah Babar Hospital. Six girls among dead. Emergency declared at LRH.

But this is not a new story. This is a repeat telecast.

*From Kahna To Dir Colony – Not A Change Even One Percent Too:*

*June 30, 2026 – Kahna, Lahore, Punjab -* 14 children were buried under the same type of roof – same mud, same gara, same garder, same 3-storey residential house converted into tuition centre / academy. Same statements came.

*October 15, 2026 – Dir Colony, Peshawar, KPK -* 30 dead. Same type, same story, same place pattern, same environment, same roof material, same school/academy in same unapproved building. What changed after Kahna? *NOTHING. Not a change even one percent too.*

*Minute Mirror Ground Check:*

Minute Mirror visited 10 schools in Kahna today after Dir tragedy:

– Same mud roofs with water seepage
– Same gara mixed with straw, leaking
– Same wooden balay eaten by termites
– Same overweight water tanks on top floor
– Same 3-storey residential houses with 100+ children, no pillars, no fire exit, no fitness certificate
– Owner on spot said: *”Bhai, yahan koi check karne nahi aata.”*

In Peshawar, a Rescue 1122 official on the spot told Minute Mirror: *”We are pulling children with our hands. This building should never have been allowed as a school.”*

A father who lost his 9-year-old son in Kahna told Minute Mirror: *”They killed my son in June, they killed 29 more in October. They will kill 30 more in December. Because not a change even one percent has happened.”*

Resident Sher Ahmed in Dir Colony said: *”Substandard construction materials used. I urge authorities to conduct thorough investigation and take strict action so that such tragedies can be prevented in future.”*

*Official Stance – Same Script, Copy-Pasted:*

*Police:* CCPO Peshawar Dr. Mian Saeed said: *”Owner of private school has been arrested. He was operating institution as an education trust. FIR being registered. Principal also taken into custody.”* Same was said after Kahna – owner arrested then released on bail and now running another centre in same street.

*District Administration:* DC Peshawar Afaq Wazir said: *”All people trapped beneath debris have been rescued. Inquiry committee formed to determine cause. Report in 24 hours.”* Same committee was formed by DC Lahore after Kahna – where is that report? No one knows.

*Government:* President Zardari, PM Shehbaz Sharif, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed deep sorrow, directed best medical treatment. Same statements came from Punjab Govt after Kahna.

*But Not A Change Even One Percent Too:*

– No department – Education, LDA, PDA, TEPA, PSRA, Private Schools Regulatory Authority, Labour, Civil Defence – has started building safety audit.
– No list of dangerous buildings prepared in Punjab or KPK.
– No FIR against any government official for criminal negligence.
– No court has convicted any owner in past 10 roof collapse cases.
– No compensation paid to Kahna families till today, and now Dir Colony families will also wait.

*Media’s Commercial Interests & News Race – Incident Forgotten After Incident:*

Minute Mirror investigation found media’s role in this zero change.

*Kahna, June 30:* For 2 days, channels ran breaking – “14 children killed.” Debates – “Who is responsible?” After 48 hours, new news came – political scandal, TikToker. Kahna’s 14 children forgotten. No channel went back to ask – Where is inquiry report? Where is owner now?

*Dir Colony, Oct 15:* Today all channels again breaking – “30 dead in Peshawar school collapse.” Same anchors, same grief. After 2 days, Dir Colony’s 29 children will also be forgotten. Because media is busy in new news race.

– *No Follow-Up:* No major TV channel followed Kahna inquiry after 24 hours.
– *Commercial Interest:* Private schools are big advertisers – crores of rupees ads to channels and newspapers. No channel wants sustained campaign against private school mafia running death traps with gara-garder roofs.
– *No Data Journalism:* How many schools in Lahore/Peshawar running in residential houses? How many have fitness certificates? No one asked under RTI.

A senior TV reporter in Lahore told Minute Mirror on condition of anonymity: *”We get orders – do breaking for 2 hours, then move on. Owner says don’t drag education stories, we get ads from schools. We are in TRP race, not justice race.”*

*Kahna families said:* “After our children died, media came for one day. After that no one came.”

*Dir Colony families will say same after 3 days.*

*From Punjab to KPK, From Lahore to Peshawar – Conclusion:*

Both governments know media will forget after 2 days. So they only need to manage 48 hours – issue statement, form committee, arrest owner  for camera. After48 hours, no cameras, no pressure – inquiry dies, file closed, owner on bail, same roof, same building.

We are a nation still moving in circles since 1947.

Roof falls – children die – statements come – owner arrested – inquiry committee – forgotten – next roof falls.

*From Kahna School Roof Fall to Dir Colony Roof Fall – roof after roof – but not a change even one percent too.*