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QUETTA: A man who had recently brought his family back to Pakistan from the United States confessed on Wednesday to shooting dead his teenage daughter, motivated by his disapproval of her TikTok content, police said.
According to SSP Serious Crime Investigation Wing Zohaib Mohsin, the teenager, identified as Hira, was shot dead outside her home in the Balochi Street area of Quetta late on Monday.
Initially, her father, Anwarul Haq, lodged a complaint at Quetta’s Gawalmandi police station, claiming that unknown assailants had fired at his daughter while she was standing at the gate of their house.
However, during the course of the investigation, police detained Anwarul Haq and his brother-in-law, Tayyab Ali, as suspects. Further inquiry by the Serious Crime Investigation Wing led to their confession, revealing that the murder was premeditated.
US-born girl returned to Pakistan along with family this month, police say
Hira, born in the United States, had lived there with her family before their return to Pakistan earlier this month.
During interrogation, Haq disclosed that he holds dual nationality (Pakistan and the United States) and had recently returned to Lahore with his family, including Hira, on Jan 15.
He admitted that the family had disputes with Hira over her lifestyle, clothing choices and social media presence, particularly her use of TikTok to create video content. According to police, the father and his brother-in-law Tayyab Ali conspired to kill the teenager, believing she was bringing dishonour to the family.
Haq confessed during interrogation that they opened fire on Hira on Jan 27 after leaving Ali’s house late at night.
Police recovered the weapon used in the killing, along with a motorcycle and the victim’s mobile phone, which remains locked. “We are examining all aspects of the case, including the possibility of an honour killing,” police officials said.
According to Reuters, police said they had charged Haq with the murder. They did not offer proof of Haq’s US citizenship except for the suspect’s own testimony and declined to say whether the US embassy had been informed of the incident.
Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2025
