A 15-year-old girl was shot dead by her father and maternal uncle over TikTok videos in an alleged honour killing in Pakistan’s Quetta, ANI reported, citing local media reports.
The father of the 15-year-old Hira was enraged over his daughter’s social media presence on TikTok and had asked her to stop making videos. However, after her daughter refused to follow his order, he hatched a plan with the girl’s maternal uncle to kill his daughter.
On January 15, Anwarul-Haq, who had shifted to America with his wife and children, returned to Pakistan. His wife and two other daughters remained in the United States.
The police confirmed that the murder was premeditated, as Anwarul-Haq hatched the plot with Tayyab Ali. Both accused have been arrested and they have confessed to the killing, according to ARY News.
The case has been transferred to the Serious Crime Investigation Wing for further inquiry.
‘Family objected to her dresses’
According to a police investigator, the girl’s family objected to her dresses and lifestyle.
“Our investigation so far has found that the family had an objection to her dressing, lifestyle, and social gathering,” another police investigator, Zohaib Mohsin, told Reuters.
He added: “We have her phone. It is locked. We are probing all aspects, including honour killing.”
More than 54 million people use TikTok in Pakistan. The government has blocked the video-sharing app several times in recent years over content moderation.
Islamabad often takes issue with what it terms “obscene content” with the social media platform, which has lately started complying with requests from Pakistan to remove certain content.
Over 1,000 women are killed each year in Pakistan at the hands of community or family members over perceived damage to “honour”, according to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
(Inputs from Reuters)
