A police spokesperson in Rawalpindi, Punjab province, said on 11/7, "The girl's father repeatedly asked her to delete her TikTok account. She refused, so he shot her on 8/7 to protect the family's honor,".
The father fled after the shooting but was arrested by police. The family initially staged the scene to look like a suicide, but forensic evidence gathered during the police investigation revealed it was a murder.
The father's actions and the family's attempted cover-up have sparked outrage in Pakistan, with demands for severe punishment.
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The TikTok logo on a smartphone on 10/6. Photo: AFP |
The TikTok logo on a smartphone on 10/6. Photo: AFP
Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country. Women can be subjected to violence by family members as punishment for not adhering to strict rules about public behavior, including on social media.
TikTok is extremely popular in Pakistan, partly due to its accessibility among the less educated population. Many girls gain followers and earn income through the app, a rare opportunity in a country where fewer than 25% of women participate in the formal economy.
However, only 30% of women in Pakistan own smartphones, compared to 58% of men, the largest gender gap globally according to the 2025 Mobile Gender Gap Report.
Pakistani telecommunications authorities have repeatedly blocked or threatened to block TikTok for what they call "immoral behavior," amid backlash against LGBTQ and sexually suggestive content.
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A protest against violence against women in Islamabad, Pakistan on 5/6, following the murder of TikToker Sana Yousaf. Photo: AFP |
A protest against violence against women in Islamabad, Pakistan on 5/6, following the murder of TikToker Sana Yousaf. Photo: AFP
Last month, 17-year-old Sana Yousaf was killed at home by a man after she rejected his advances. Yousaf was a social media influencer with over one million followers across her accounts, including TikTok, where she frequently shared videos about her favorite cafes, skincare products, and traditional clothing.
In Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan, where tribal law governs many rural areas, a man confessed to staging the murder of his 14-year-old daughter earlier this year because of her TikTok videos, which he believed damaged her and the family's "honor".
Huyen Le (AFP, Times of India)
