Pakistan: Girl posts TikTok videos despite 'warning', father, uncle kill her

A Pakistani man killed his US-born daughter as she posted TikTok videos despite warning. Notably, the father and uncle initially claimed the girl was shot outside their home in an aerial firing incident.

A Pakistani man who is accused of killing his 15-year-old daughter, born and raised in the US, said on Thursday that his daughter posted TikTok videos despite his warning, and it became the reason for her death. The girl, identified as a US national, went to her hometown, Quetta, in the Balochistan province on January 15 with her family. She was allegedly shot dead by her father and uncle on Tuesday.  The two accused have been sent to police remand for 10 days, while the victim's younger brother was being questioned to find out what had happened. Notably, the father and uncle initially claimed the girl was shot outside their home in an aerial firing incident.

Here's what official say

"We are investigating the matter to find out if the girl was brought to Pakistan by her father for the sole purpose of killing her because of the tougher laws in the United States," senior police official Abad Baloch said.

Honour killings, especially of women, are prevalent in many parts of Pakistan, even in a cosmopolitan city like Karachi, where last October a man killed his mother, sister, sister-in-law, and niece because they refused to stop making TikTok videos.

He slit their throats in their Lea Market apartment and was later arrested by the police after he claimed he was not in the house when the killings took place.

Honour killing: A prevalent phenomenon in Pakistan

In another chilling case, a man strangled his wife to death in front of his father and mother as his friend made a video of the entire episode, which was later leaked on social media and led to the man and his family’s arrest in Punjab.

The honour killings are carried out under the perceived societal beliefs about family dignity and shame, and even couples marrying without consent have fallen victim to it. In 2024, at least 346 women and 185 men lost their lives to honour killings in Pakistan, while in 2023 the figures were 314 and 176, respectively.

(With inputs from PTI)

Also Read | British MP highlights human rights violations in Sindh, Balochistan, urges for review of Pakistan's record