Pakistan-based TikTok influencer Imsha Rehman has deactivated her social media accounts after her private videos were circulated online without her consent. The videos, allegedly showing Ms Rehman in a compromising position, have since gone viral, triggering a social media storm in the conservative country. Rehman has been facing criticism and intense scrutiny from all quarters which prompted her to wipe out her social media footprint, at least temporarily. Rehman has become the latest Pakistani influencer to have had her private videos leaked online.
Who is Imsha Rehman?
Born on October 7, 2002, in Lahore, Ms Rehman is one of the biggest social media influencers in Pakistan -- commanding a legion of followers on Instagram and TikTok. She started her social media journey by sharing fishing and lifestyle content before transitioning to down-to-earth and relatable content on the short video platform, TikTok.
As of the last update, Rehman had over 111,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 200,000 followers on TikTok - the Chinese app owned by ByteDance.
Imsha Rehman responds to controversy
As the controversy surrounding her explicit videos snowballed, Ms Rahman posted a brief statement before going offline. "The backlash has been overwhelming", she wrote. As per Pakistani media reports, the videos were released after hackers managed to gain access to her accounts.
A screenshot shared by The Express Tribune showed Ms Rehman's TikTok page where she had changed the bio to, "Jab tak video viral hai maine ne ID off kar di hai (Till the time video is viral, I have deactivated my account)."
Previous instance
This is not the first instance when a Pakistani social media influencer has had their online privacy breached. Minahil Malik, a popular social media personality and TikTok star had also quit social media after an intimate video of her with her boyfriend leaked online. She claimed the video was "fake" and lodged a complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
However, Malik faced intense trolling since social media users accused her of intentionally leaking the video. Pakistani actress Mishi Khan released a video in which she criticised influencers for "stooping to the lowest level" for fame. She did not directly name Malik, but the references were said to be directed towards her.
