US Teen Killed by Father in Pakistan Over TikTok Videos

A man who recently relocated his family from the US to Pakistan has confessed to killing his teenage daughter over her TikTok videos, according to police reports shared with the BBC. Anwar ul-Haq, who holds US citizenship, was charged with murder after admitting to shooting his 13-14-year-old daughter, Hira, in the southwestern city of Quetta on Tuesday. Initially, he had claimed that unidentified men were responsible for the attack.

Haq said he disapproved of his daughter’s TikTok posts, calling them “objectionable.” Police are exploring all possibilities, including the potential for an honour killing, a practice that remains common in Pakistan.

Every year, hundreds of people, mostly women, are killed in the country in the name of so-called honour, often by family members claiming to defend their family’s reputation. In Hira’s case, police noted that her family disapproved of her clothing, lifestyle, and social activities.

The family had lived in the US for 25 years, and Hira had started posting content on TikTok before the family moved back to Pakistan. Authorities have secured her phone, which is locked, as part of the investigation.

Haq’s brother-in-law has also been arrested in connection with the killing. If this case is determined to be an honour killing, the men involved could face a mandatory life sentence, following changes to Pakistani law in 2016 that removed the option for perpetrators to avoid punishment through family pardons.

In recent years, there have been high-profile cases in Pakistan related to honour killings. In 2023, an Italian court sentenced a Pakistani couple to life in prison for killing their 18-year-old daughter over her refusal to accept an arranged marriage. In 2022, the brother of Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch was acquitted on appeal after confessing to her 2016 murder, claiming her actions had dishonoured the family.

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