A teenage girl has been shot and killed by her own father in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, after she reportedly refused to delete her TikTok account. The murder has been described by authorities as a so-called "honour killing."
According to PTI, the victim, 17-year-old Mehak Shahzadi, was a matriculation student. According to police, her father, Akhlaq Ahmed, had repeatedly demanded she remove her social media profile. When she refused to comply, he allegedly opened fire on her in a fit of rage, killing her instantly before fleeing the scene.
Rawalpindi police have since confirmed that Akhlaq Ahmed has been arrested and the murder weapon has been recovered. A murder case has been registered and he is being held for further investigation.
The killing of Mehak Shahzadi highlights a terrifying trend of violence against women and girls who gain a public profile online in the region. Their visibility has often been met with extreme and deadly opposition.
Earlier this year, 17-year-old Pakistani social media influencer Sana Yousaf was murdered in her Islamabad home by a man after she rejected his advances. The killing sparked a fierce debate about the dangers faced by female content creators, with many online commentators blaming Yousaf for her public presence. Human rights activists condemned this reaction as deeply misogynistic.
In India, the case of Kamal Kaur, a popular Punjabi social media star, further underscores the risks. She was found dead in the back of a car after having previously received death threats from a Canada-based gangster. The gangster had accused her of "spreading filth" and "ruining the image of our community" with her online videos.
These cases, while different in their details, point to a shared, violent backlash against women who claim a public space online. Whether from family members enforcing patriarchal control or men who feel entitled to their attention, female influencers in South Asia are facing growing threats for little more than being visible.
