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A Quetta court sentenced a father and his brother-in-law to life for killing his teenage daughter over TikTok videos. The ruling has revived focus on honour killings and the dangers faced by young women online.
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Karachi,UPDATED: Jun 20, 2026 21:38 IST
A court in Pakistan's Balochistan on Saturday sentenced a man and his brother-in-law to life imprisonment for killing his 14-year-old daughter over TikTok videos that they believed had brought dishonour to the family. The killing of Hira Rajput, a Pakistani-American teenager, had sparked outrage across Pakistan last year and renewed debate over so-called honour killings and the risks faced by young women who use social media.
The Additional District and Sessions Court in Quetta convicted Anwar-ul-Haq Rajput and his brother-in-law, Muhammad Tayyab Bhatti, for the January 2025 murder. The court accepted the prosecution's case that the killing had been planned in advance and sentenced both men to life imprisonment.
Prosecutors said Rajput had brought his daughter from the United States to Pakistan before planning her killing over her TikTok videos. Investigators said the family had lived in the United States for about 25 years and that the girl had been posting content on TikTok before returning to Pakistan.
Police said Rajput initially claimed that his daughter had been hit by a stray bullet while making videos outside their home. Bhatti also supported the same account during the investigation. However, investigators later concluded that the killing had been planned.
Prosecutors told the court that Rajput disapproved of his daughter's TikTok activity and believed it had brought dishonour to the family. They alleged that he brought the girl to Pakistan from the United States on the pretext of visiting her hometown of Quetta and carried out the murder with Bhatti's assistance. The murder drew widespread attention after police said family members objected to the girl's clothing, lifestyle and social media activity.
The case became one of Pakistan's most closely watched honour-killing trials, highlighting the continuing threat faced by women and girls despite legal reforms aimed at curbing the practice. Human rights groups say hundreds of women are killed every year in Pakistan in so-called honour killings, crimes typically carried out by relatives who claim they are defending family honour. Pakistan strengthened its laws against honour killings in 2016, making life imprisonment mandatory in such cases.
With PTI Inputs
- Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Jun 20, 2026 21:38 IST
