US-Born Pakistani Teen Killed by Father Over TikTok Videos

Quetta, Pakistan – A father in Pakistan has confessed to murdering his teenage daughter over her TikTok videos, authorities reported. Anwar ul-Haq, a US citizen who recently moved his family back to Pakistan after 25 years in the United States, admitted to shooting his daughter, Hira, in Quetta on Tuesday.

Initially, he claimed unidentified men were responsible, but later told police he objected to his daughter’s online presence and social media activity. Officials are investigating the possibility of an honor killing, a tragic crime that remains prevalent in Pakistan despite legal reforms.

Hira, believed to be around 13 or 14 years old, had been posting on TikTok even before the family’s relocation. Police revealed that her phone, which is currently locked, is in their possession as part of the investigation.

Authorities also arrested her father’s brother-in-law in connection with the crime. If convicted of an honor killing, the suspects face a mandatory life sentence under Pakistan’s 2016 law, which closed previous legal loopholes that allowed families to pardon such crimes.

This case echoes past honor killings, including the murder of social media star Qandeel Baloch in 2016 and the 2023 sentencing of a Pakistani couple in Italy for killing their daughter who refused an arranged marriage.

Pakistan continues to grapple with gender-based violence, with hundreds of honor killings reported annually despite efforts by human rights organizations and lawmakers to curb these brutal acts.