A tragedy in Punjab. Fourteen children dead. A school roof collapsed in the town of Gujranwala.
The children were between five and ten years old. The school was a madrassa. It was a concrete block.
It was built cheaply. Officials blame shoddy construction. That is a familiar story in Pakistan.
Building codes exist on paper. They are rarely enforced. The UK has offered engineering aid.
The Foreign Office stresses it is not a bailout. It is about training local builders. It is about inspecting schools.
It is a token gesture. But it is something. The deaths will spark a familiar cycle.
Outrage. Promises. Then nothing.
The government in Islamabad will set up a commission. It will issue a report. The report will be shelved.
The UK's expert team will arrive in weeks. They will assess 200 schools. That is a drop in the ocean.
There are thousands of madrassas in Pakistan. They are often unregulated. They are a political minefield.
Any attempt to inspect them is seen as an attack on religion. The UK knows this. So the aid is a fig leaf.
It allows ministers to say they are acting. It stops the pressure. But will it save lives?
Probably not. The real issue is graft. It is the mafia that sells cheap cement.
It is the inspectors who take bribes. That is not something a team of engineers can fix. Still, it is better than nothing.
The children are dead. Their families will get a small condolence payment. The UK will send experts.
And the roof will collapse again. Somewhere else. Next year.
