Targeted killing of TikTokers especially female influencers have been on the rise in Pakistan. Just yesterday, 17-year-old Tiktoker Sana Yousaf was shot dead at her home by an unidentified man, who was later arrested from Faisalabad. The teenager was well-known for her social media activities, with nearly 800,000 followers on her TikTok account and almost 500,000 on her Instagram account.
Rumors have also started circulating that another popular TikToker husband and wife Mashal Khan and from Peshawar were shot dead. However, these reports turned out to be false.
What’s story?
One user on X claimed that TikTok influencers Mashal Khan and his wife Meena Khan were shot dead. The post declared, “Peshawar TikTokers Mashal Khan and his wife Meena Khan were shot dead, while Chitral TikToker Sana Yousaf was also killed in Islamabad.” The post gained a lot of traction, gathering over 17,200 views and being widely shared on both X and Facebook.
But the claim is untrue. Both Mashal and Meena Khan publicly posted new videos on Monday and Tuesday, including a video from June 2 in which the couple addressed and refuted the viral rumor. In the video, they pledged to take legal action against those spreading misinformation and vowed to submit a formal complaint to the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cybercrime Wing.
@mashal.khan.mk0 Fake news de da videos share kai plz#foryoupageofficiall #foryou #viral
The pair said that the hoax report had triggered a great deal of panic among their relatives.
Mashal and Meena each have individual TikTok accounts, with followings of around 90,000 and 1.1 million, respectively. They make collaborative content, often featuring Pashto music and cultural themes.
