A father in Pakistan has confessed to killing his teenage daughter after she refused to stop posting videos on TikTok, police reported on Thursday.
The man, believed to be in his 50s, had recently returned to Pakistan with his family from the United States, settling in Quetta, a city in the country’s southwest, according to local police chief Babar Baloch.
Authorities say the father, now in custody, admitted to shooting his daughter earlier this week after she defied demands to dress more modestly and cease uploading what the family deemed “indecent” content on social media.
Police are investigating the crime as a case of so-called “honor killing,” a brutal practice that remains alarmingly prevalent in Pakistan. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), nearly 1,000 women are murdered each year by relatives—fathers, brothers, and even sons—under the guise of preserving family honor.
Despite legal reforms introduced in 2016 to curb the practice, human rights groups, including Amnesty International, warn that loopholes in Pakistan’s laws still allow perpetrators to evade justice. Many killers escape punishment due to an Islamic provision that permits the victim’s family to pardon the murderer—often leading to impunity in cases where the perpetrator is a relative.
The tragic case has reignited debates over women’s rights, digital expression, and the urgent need to enforce stricter laws against honor-based violence in Pakistan.
