A man named Anwar ul Haq who had recently moved his family back to Pakistan after living in the United States for about twenty five years has confessed to killing his fifteen year old daughter because he disapproved of her TikTok videos. The incident happened on a street in Quetta which is a city in southwestern Pakistan. At first Haq told the police that unknown gunmen had shot his daughter but during the investigation he later admitted that he was the one who committed the crime.
According to the police Haq and his family were not happy with the way his daughter dressed her lifestyle and the people she socialized with. They thought her TikTok videos were inappropriate and did not match their conservative beliefs. Even after moving back to Pakistan she continued posting videos on TikTok which made her father very angry. The police have taken the girl’s phone as evidence but it is locked and they are still investigating to see if this was an honour killing.
Haq who has claimed that he is a US citizen has been charged with murder. The police have also arrested his brother in law because they believe he was involved in the case. However the police have not confirmed if Haq really has US citizenship and they have not said whether the American embassy has been informed about what happened.
Pakistan is a country where traditions and conservative values are very strong. Many women and girls in Pakistan face honour killings which means they are murdered by family members if they are seen as bringing dishonour to their families. This can happen if they wear certain clothes post on social media talk to men or do anything that goes against conservative values. Every year more than one thousand women in Pakistan are killed for these reasons.
The government of Pakistan has also banned TikTok several times in the past because they believe it has inappropriate content. Even with these bans more than fifty four million people in Pakistan still use TikTok.
This terrible incident shows how dangerous it can be for women and girls in societies where personal freedom is restricted. Sometimes even simple actions like posting videos online can lead to serious consequences including violence and death.
