On October 17, a roof collapsed at the Al-Khair Education Center in Peshawar, Pakistan. A spokesman for Rescue 1122, said “When the Rescue 1122 emergency response teams arrived at the scene, they found that one roof had collapsed onto another, causing the classroom below to be crushed and trapping children inside.” According to Dawn news, the official list of casualties report that a total of 61 people were brought to the hospital. At least 30 children and 1 teacher were killed in the incident!

This tragedy has gained international attention, with questions being raised about Pakistan’s safety standards and the quality of construction materials. News reports point to the fact that building and roof collapses are common in Pakistan. Three girls were killed near Umerkot, in July of this year, after a portion of the outer wall of a government primary school collapsed and the rubble fell on them. In June this year, 14 children lost their lives after a private tuition centre’s roof collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area. These are just two of the incidents from this year alone.

Do the rulers of Pakistan not understand that Allah will account them for every death and injury resulting from their negligence in taking care of the safety of their people? Providing monetary compensation for the dead children does not erase this accountability – especially when the incidents could have been prevented if they had upheld strict safety standards! All we have is statements of ‘regret and condolences’ from Pakistan’s President and Prime Minister, with the newly appointed governor of KPK calling for an investigation of the school to find out who issued the no objection certificate. The authorities in Pakistan have also ordered inspections of regional schools across the country. But why did it take the death of more than 30 people for such a step to be taken? When the government knows that there is widespread corruption, why are No Objection Certificates (NOCs) being issued without more stringent oversight? And after the recent monsoon rains, why did they wait for a roof to collapse and kill 30 children before calling for investigations?! All this demonstrates the indifferent, apathetic and callous nature of the secular regime and system towards the welfare of their citizens.

Under the Islamic system, the Khilafah (Caliphate) based upon the method of the Prophethood, the Khalifah (caliph) and his administration are gravely aware of the accountability that comes with having authority over the people, for the Prophet (saw) said: «الْإِمَامُ رَاعٍ وَهُوَ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ»“The Imam (ruler) of the people is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects.” We see this scale of accountability in the life of Umar bin Al-Khattab(ra), who as a ruler said: “If a sheep were to die, lost on the banks of the Euphrates, I would fear that Allah (swt) might hold me accountable for it on the Day of Resurrection.” The understanding of this grave responsibility towards their people, is also seen in the actions of other leaders under Islamic rule historically.  Under the Uthmani Khilafah, officials were appointed to ensure that buildings were regularly checked to ensure they were in line with safety standards. They would inspect construction, enforce building rules, and sometimes order repairs or demolition. Citizens were also able to petition the appointed Qadi and officials when there were concerns and building disputes.

The empty statements of those in leadership claiming that they are taking steps to hold those responsible for this tragedy to account is not enough! The Muslim Ummah deserve rulers who care for our wellbeing and security! This is what Islam demands and we should not accept anything less! It is only the Khilafah system that can provide us with such rulers of Taqwa who understand their accountability to Allah and their heavy Islamic duties to their citizens, along with institutions and bodies that will effectively hold them to account to ensure the safety of the people. It is not only the buildings of many schools in Pakistan which are crumbling and decrepit but the regime and system that governs over them. Until this is removed and replaced by the System of Allah, these tragedies will continue to blight the people.