A disturbing new trend seems to have emerged among young TikTok users in Pakistan, who are setting fire to forests for their videos. Two fires were started on the Margalla hills, and one in Abbottabad by TikTokers who then callously made videos of the forests set ablaze.
The most recent case of arson involved two young men who were seen setting the Margalla hills on fire using a lighter. In the video, they can be seen laughing and watching the fire grow around them.
مارگلہ کے جنگلات میں آگ لگانے والے جوانوں کی ویڈیو سامنے آگئی@ahsanpsp @dcislamabad pic.twitter.com/7Ke0znzms8
— sajid sheikh (@sajidsheikh321) May 16, 2022
A while back, another video went viral where a young woman wearing a fancy dress modeled in front of a fire that had been set off in the background, for ‘dramatic effect’.
This is a disturbing & disastrous trend on Tik Tok! Young people desperate 4 followers are setting fire to our forests during this hot & dry season! In Australia it is lifetime imprisonment for those who start wildfires. We need to introduce similar legislation @WildlifeBoard pic.twitter.com/RGMXnbG9f1
— Rina S Khan Satti (@rinasaeed) May 17, 2022
Sharing the video, Chairperson Islamabad Wildlife Management Board Rina Saeed Khan Satti said that this new ‘disturbing and disastrous’ trend of setting fire to forests to increase their follower count, was very dangerous, especially during this hot and dry season.
She further said that in Australia, there is a punishment of lifetime imprisonment for purposefully starting forest fires, adding that Pakistan needs to introduce similar legislation.
Earlier, another video had gone viral, showing a young man walking along a forest in Abbottabad, which he had set on fire. Authorities have been successful in capturing the man and bringing him in for interrogation and arrest.
Last week, a TikToker who set fire in the forest was arrested by the staff of Abbottabad wildlife division. https://t.co/7eeKKWl2yH pic.twitter.com/8aYpyLSqSP
— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) May 17, 2022
The man made another video responding to a comment on the original video in which he claimed that he had not started the fire, and in fact it was already ablaze and he just filmed a video in front of it. However shortly after he was taken into custody by the Wildlife department.
