By Charlie Carmichael-
A woman from Pakistan is facing criminal charges over claims she started a fire in order to get views on Tiktok.
The area [filmed] is part of Margalla Hills National Park, which has reported multiple incidents of wildfires recently which have damaged the ecosystem,” the police noted in the complaint filed against Asghar. She was charged under the country’s environmental protection laws.
A video of Pakistani actor and TikToker Humaira Asghar has also drawn severe criticism on social media as she was shot walking in a silver ball gown in front of a forest fire raging in the background behind her.
Humaira Asghar, known as “Dolly” to her 11.5 million TikTok fans, faces charges for allegedly setting a forest fire while shooting a TikTok video in Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad.
The social media influencer is under serious fire for flirting with danger for greater fame.
The police complaint filed against Asghar under the nation’s environmental protection laws states that, “the area [filmed] is part of Margalla Hills National Park which has reported multiple incidents of wildfires recently which have damaged the ecosystem.”
In the 11-second clip which has since been taken down, Asghar, who has millions of followers on social media, dramatically walks down a forested hill covered in flames in slow motion with a trending pop song that mentions “setting fire” playing in the background. The caption posted with the video shot in the Margalla Hills National Park reads, “fire erupts wherever I am.”
Officials from Pakastan have condemned what they say is an emerging trend in a country that is suffering from a record-breaking heatwave.
Humaira Asghar condemned for sparking fires for Tiktok views Image:Dolly/Instagram
The charges follows an earlier arrest this month, when a man in Abbottabad city was arrested for intentionally starting a forest fire to use as a backdrop in his video. In another recently released video, two men are seen appearing to start a forest fire then running away from it while music plays in the background.
Scorching temperatures have peaked at 51 degrees Celsius (124 degrees Fahrenheit) in different parts of the country. Forest fires are common from mid-April through to the end of July, and are caused by high temperatures, lightning and slash-and-burn farming.
The hills where the video was filmed are an extension of the Himalayan mountain range and a natural habitat of many endangered plants and animals. They host 600 plant species, 250 bird varieties, 38 mammals and 13 species of reptiles.
The police complaint filed against Asghar under the country’s environmental protection laws states that, “the area [filmed] is part of Margalla Hills National Park which has reported multiple incidents of wildfires recently which have damaged the ecosystem.”
Asghar later said in a statement released by an assistant that she did not start the fire and there was “no harm in making videos”.
Video-sharing application TikTok, however, did see an issue with the clip and released a statement on Wednesday, saying that any content that promotes “dangerous” or “illegal” behaviour is a violation of its community guidelines.”
In a video filmed shortly after her first controversial video, shared by a local journalist with VICE World News, the TikToker is shown standing in front of the fire next to a man who claims to have set fire to the forest to “clear it from snakes.”