A Pakistani social media star has faced a mighty backlash because of a TikTok video where she posed against the backdrop of a raging forest fire, despite the fact the country is reeling from a heatwave.
In the since deleted video, the model, who goes by the name of Dolly and boasts more than 11 million followers on the platform, is shown walking leisurely in a silver gown while the hillside behind her burns.
In the caption, she wrote: "Fire erupts wherever I am."
The clip was filmed in partnership with a fashion brand, Bling, a local English-language newspaper, Express Tribune, reported adding that the shoot was set in the Margalla Hills Range - home to about 218 species of birds.
After the incident, a police complaint was filed against the influencer, under wildlife and environment protection laws, the Express Tribune said.
Many slammed the social media star for purportedly deliberately setting off a blaze despite a warning as Pakistan remains in the grips of a heatwave. The country recently witnessed the hottest March in 61 years.
Chairman of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, Rina Saeed Khan Satti, also expressed her outrage on her Twitter account over the incident. She posted a video of baby birds rescued from forest fires.
TikTok on Tuesday also responded to the backlash, saying it did not advocate or allow “dangerous or illegal behaviour".
"Any content that promotes dangerous or illegal behaviour would be a violation of our community guidelines and is not allowed on our platform,” TikTok said in a statement.
The TikTok celebrity’s video was made soon after police arrested a man earlier in May in the north-western city of Abbottabad for deliberately starting a forest fire as a background for his video.
In countries that suffer from extreme heat, such as Australia, there are severe laws against starting a bushfire intentionally and being reckless in causing its spread. Legal actions range "from cautions through to criminal charges," with perpetrators potentially facing up to 21 years in prison, according to NSW police.