Sania Khan Went Viral for Posting About Her Divorce on TikTok — Then She Was Killed

The TikTok account of Sania Khan tells two different stories. One is that of a Pakistani woman struggling with other members of her South Asian community, and the other is someone ready to start a new life after a bad marriage. According to Al Jazeera, divorce is a "cultural taboo" in Pakistan, and "women seeking to end their marriages face legal hurdles that men do not encounter as frequently." Khan was living in the U.S., but her family's values were still planted firmly in Pakistan.

She used TikTok in an attempt to normalize divorcing when it was much more than frowned upon by South Asians. In one video, Khan is smiling in a restroom while revealing that the red flags she ignored early on during her relationship were still there after she got married. Khan's husband, Raheel Ahmed, didn't accept that things were over so he took matters into his own hands. Where is he now? Here's what we know.

According to ABC 7 Chicago, on July 18, 2022, Ahmed shot and killed Khan in the condominium the couple previously shared then turned the gun on himself. Khan's mother, Shazia Khan, took legal action against building management, the property company that owns the building, and the security company whose employees work there after Ahmed was permitted entry without asking for identification.

Shazia claimed that building management failed to follow apartment protocols. Michael Gallagher, the Khan family attorney, told media that Khan had "personally told the management employees that under no circumstances should Ahmed be allowed into the building because she feared for her safety." He was able to do so by meeting with a rental agent who proceeded to show him rental units. Ahmed separated from the agent, went up to his old apartment, broke in, and shot Khan before turning the gun on himself.

Khan was a talented photographer whose website is still active. In her bio, she describes herself as a "first-generation Pakistani-American aka an 'ABCD' kid (American Born Confused Desi)!" To pay the bills, Khan was a flight attendant who loved her job because it allowed her to travel the world and meet new people. Most days Khan could be found editing photos in a coffee shop. There is no mention of Ahmed.

The couple moved to Chicago in June 2021 when Khan was 26 and Ahmed was 33 years old, per ABC 7 Chicago. They were married for less than a year before Khan filed for divorce. On June 1, 2022, Khan posted a TikTok with a text overlay that reads, "Going through a divorce as a South Asian woman feels like you failed at life sometimes." She went on to say that not only is her community unsupportive, but they will pressure you to stay married.

The BBC reported that Khan and Ahmed had been dating for five years when they married in June 2021. A childhood friend told the outlet that their Pakistani wedding was "big and fabulous," but the marriage was "built on a foundation of lies and manipulation." The bulk of their relationship was long distance which they believe kept Khan from knowing that Ahmed had been struggling with mental health issues.

Something happened in December 2021 with Ahmed's mental health that her friends say made her feel unsafe. She finally opened up to her friends about Ahmed's behavior. Ahmed hadn't been sleeping well and when he was awake, he acted bizarre. Despite the stigma surrounding divorce in her Muslim community, Khan decided to move forward with the proceedings.

While Khan's death was certainly a tragedy that feels like it could have been avoided, so many women in the Muslim community responded to her TikToks. Bisma Parvez, a 35-year-old Pakistani-American Muslim woman, told the BBC, "Everyone's hush-hush, but social media helps you realize what a worldwide problem this is." She added that telling women to protect themselves isn't enough. Teaching men to respect women is just as crucial.