Pakistani Father Kills Teenage Daughter Over TikTok Videos

Authorities in Pakistan have reported a case of alleged honor killing in which a father fatally shot his teenage daughter over her social media activity.

According to Babar Baloch, the local police chief in Quetta, the suspect—believed to be in his 50s—had recently moved his family back to Pakistan from the United States. He confessed to shooting his daughter earlier this week after she refused to stop posting videos on TikTok and to adopt what he considered more modest attire.

Law enforcement officials have classified the incident as an honor killing, a practice that remains widespread in Pakistan despite ongoing legal reforms. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) estimates that approximately 1,000 women are killed annually by close male relatives—including fathers, brothers, and sons—under the pretext of protecting family honor.

One of the key challenges in prosecuting such crimes is a controversial provision in Pakistan’s legal system that allows the victim’s family to pardon the perpetrator. While a 2016 law sought to restrict this legal loophole, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, contend that it has not been sufficient to deter honor-related violence.

The case has once again drawn attention to the intersection of social media, gender rights, and legal accountability in Pakistan, prompting renewed calls for stricter enforcement of laws designed to protect women from such acts of violence.