Islamabad: After posing for a TikTok video portraying a forest fire, a renowned Pakistani social media star with millions of followers has come under fire.
TikToker Humaira Asghar can be seen wandering joyfully in a gown in front of a flaming hillside in a 15-second video that has gone popular on the internet with the caption: “Fire erupts wherever I am.” This situation can be termed as
The controversial short video has subsequently been taken down.
Asghar said in a statement released by an assistant that she did not start the fire and there was “no harm in making videos”.
“She should have been holding a bucket of water to extinguish the fire instead of glamorising it,” says Rina Saeed Khan Satti, an environmental activist and chairperson of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, as quoted by Daily Pakistan.
Following the release of this video of a forest fire, internet users were obviously enraged at the infringement of environmental regulations.
One comment on Asghar’s TikTok video said, “Sheer ignorance and craziness.” “One may at least block her on social media networks, if the authorities don’t do anything,” one Twitter user stated.
“Government should ensure that criminals are punished, and TikToker, as well as the brand, should be penalized,” another person stated.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is the tenth most vulnerable country to climate-related extreme weather.
Experts say there is ignorance among the Pakistani population about environmental issues. Forest fires are common from April to July due to high temperatures and slash-and-burn farming.
TikTok is widely used by young people in Pakistan and videos often garner hundreds of thousands of like
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.