A popular Pakistani social media figure with millions of followers is facing severe criticism after posing for a TikTok video of a forest fire. In 15 seconds video that has gone viral on the internet, TikToker Humaira Asghar can be seen walking playfully in a gown in front of a burning hillside with the caption: “Fire erupts wherever I am.”The short clip which received backlash has since been taken down.
After this video of forest fire emerged, people on the internet were visibly fuming over the violation of environmental norms. “Sheer ignorance and madness,” said one comment under Asghar`s video on TikTok. A user on Twitter said, “One can at least block her on social media platforms if the authorities don`t do anything.”Another person said, “Government should make sure that culprits are punished and the TikToker along with the brand should be penalized.
Asghar said in a statement released by an assistant that she did not start the fire and there was “no harm in making videos Ms Asghar, who has more than 11 million followers on TikTok, said in a statement released “.The clip has since been taken down.
“She should have been holding a bucket of water to extinguish the fire instead of glamorising it,” Rina Saeed Khan Satti, an environmental activist and chairperson of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, told AFP.
According to Geo TV, recently there have been several instances of people setting forest on fires and sharing videos on TikTok. A few days ago, a video showed two young people starting a forest fire with a lighter at Margalla Hills, the report said.
In another viral video, a female TikToker set the woods on fire to add “dramatic effects” to her video. She burnt down dozens of trees to “create a dramatic effect for the viewers in the footage”. Earlier, another TikToker was arrested for setting a forest ablaze in Abbottabad, Geo TV added.
“Pakistan is the eighth-most vulnerable country to extreme weather caused by climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. 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.
