New York teen killed by father in Pakistan over online posts in 'honor' killing, authorities say

A New York teenager was lured back to her family's native Pakistan and shot and killed by her father on Monday because he did not approve of content on her TikTok account, according to The New York Times and other media outlets.

Authorities have described the killing of Hira Anwar, 14, by her father, Anwar ul-Haq, and his brother-in-law, on a street in Quetta, Pakistan, near the Afghan border, as an "honor killing." In most cases honor killings involve the murder of a woman or young girl by male family members who claim the victim has brought shame on their family.

Ul-Haq, who reportedly lived in New York for 25 years, driving an Uber, had recently moved his family to his native Pakistan, according to the BBC.

Hira, Pakistani police said, was allegedly lured to Pakistan, a South Asian nation with conservative social norms, under the premise of visiting extended family, The Times said.

But ul-Haq reportedly confronted his daughter about the TikTok content on her page, which is private, that he found "objectionable," the BBC said. The content, CNN reported, included posts made in the U.S. and posts that she shared after arriving in Pakistan.

The father initially told police that an unidentified gunman had opened fire on him and his daughter but when pressed further by law enforcement he eventually confessed to the killing, citing his daughter's social media posting, clothing and lifestyle, The Times reported.

"Our investigation so far has found that the family had an objection to her dressing, lifestyle, and social gathering," police investigator Zohaib Mohsin told Reuters. "We have her phone. It is locked. We are probing all aspects, including honor killing."

Ul-Haq, who police said maintains U.S. citizenship, has been charged with murder and could face life in prison, media reports state.

Human rights groups contend hundreds of people, largely women, are murdered annually through honor killings.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan documented nearly 400 honor killings in 2022 — a number that media reports indicate has grown in recent years.

"Several laws criminalized so-called honor killings and other acts committed against women in the name of traditional practices," according to a February 2024 State Department report on Pakistan's human rights abuses. "Despite these laws, hundreds of women reportedly were victims of so-called honor killings, and many cases went unreported and unpunished. In many cases, officials allowed the man involved in the alleged 'crime of honor' to flee."