In Balochistan’s Khuzdar, two young individuals were arrested and subsequently made to publicly apologize for creating a TikTok video, following complaints from local clerics.
The youths were accused by the clerics of creating content that was deemed inappropriate, which led to their coerced apology during a session recorded in the Deputy Commissioner’s office. The session was later shared on social media.
In the footage, the young men appear under police custody as Hafiz Jameel Ahmad, the son of Khuzdar’s former MNA and a leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Maulana Qamaruddin, supervises their apology.
The youths explained that their TikTok video, intended as a light-hearted jest about breaking their fast early, resulted in their summons by the Deputy Commissioner and forced apology in front of Hafiz Jameel.
The circulation of the apology video on social media sparked widespread condemnation from the public and calls for higher authorities to scrutinize the actions taken. Critics raised serious concerns about the legality of clerics’ roles within government settings, the manner of the accusations, and the public sharing of the apology video.