A 28-year-old Pakistani TikToker with more than 1.3 million followers was shot dead in Taxila, around 33 km from Islamabad, on August 14, the country’s Independence Day, while travelling in a car with her siblings. Her death is the latest in a series of violent incidents involving Pakistani women who had established large audiences on social media.
Shamso Bibi, popularly known online as Ayesha Gilamana, was travelling with her teenage sister and brother when two unidentified men on a motorcycle opened fire on their vehicle, according to Karachi-based outlet ARY News. A bullet struck Bibi in the neck, killing her instantly, according to a police complaint lodged by her father, Fazal Sahibzada.
The shooting caused the vehicle to lose control and collide with another car, leaving Bibi’s 15-year-old sister, Aseema, seriously injured.
According to the complaint filed by Bibi’s father, she had received a phone call from a man identified as Kashif, also known as “Kashi”, who asked her to come outside her home, Arab News reported.
Bibi then left with Aseema and her brother Naimatullah. Naimatullah later told his father that two unidentified men, believed to be between 30 and 35 years old, approached their car on a motorcycle and fired at them. The attack killed Bibi and caused the vehicle to crash.
A purported CCTV recording circulating online appears to show two men on a motorcycle stopping a car and firing at it from close range, The Independent reported.
Sahibzada later went to THQ Hospital Taxila, where he identified his daughter’s body. Police have arrested at least three people accused of providing shelter and information to the alleged attackers, although the primary accused remains at large, Dawn reported on Wednesday.
FAMILY ALLEGES FINANCIAL DISPUTE BEHIND MURDER
Bibi’s family has alleged that the killing stemmed from a financial dispute, although investigators have yet to establish the motive.
Her father told police that Bibi had financial dealings with Kausar and Javed, also known as Shaheen, and had faced threats over demands for repayment. He alleged that the pair could have arranged the murder and claimed Kashif may have played a role in instigating the attack.
Bibi’s brother Rehmatullah told Arab News that the family deactivated her TikTok account following her death. He said the account had accumulated more than 30-35 million likes and over one million followers.
Rehmatullah also claimed that Bibi had received death threats from Kausar and Javed over the repayment issue and had previously filed a complaint against them in Islamabad.
Naimatullah, who was inside the car during the shooting, later told Voicepk that police had yet to arrest the main suspects. He appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to intervene and ensure that those responsible were brought to justice.
Dawn reported on Wednesday that a special Rawalpindi police team investigating the case had detained three suspected facilitators allegedly linked to the main suspect, who remains at large.
RISING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN INFLUENCERS IN PAKISTAN
TikTok has a particularly large user base in Pakistan. According to DataReportal’s Digital 2026: Pakistan report, which cited TikTok’s advertising data, the platform had 79.9 million users aged 18 and above in the country by late 2025.
For many women, the platform has provided an avenue to earn money and develop large public audiences in a country where less than a quarter of women participate in the formal workforce. At the same time, an increasing number of women with prominent social media profiles have faced harassment and violence.
In March 2026, TikTok creator Sana Javed, known online as OutLofara, was shot dead in Islamabad. Dawn reported that her estranged husband was allegedly responsible for the killing and later died by suicide.
In May 2026, a Pakistani court sentenced a 23-year-old man to death for murdering 17-year-old TikTok influencer Sana Yousaf. She had been shot at her Islamabad home in June 2025 after repeatedly rejecting the man’s advances, according to the BBC.
In July 2025, 16-year-old TikTok creator Mehak Shehzadi was shot dead in Rawalpindi. Dawn reported that police were investigating the incident as a possible honour killing, with investigators alleging that her father objected to her presence on TikTok and was concerned about the family’s reputation.
That same month, TikTok creator Sumeera Rajput was found dead under suspicious circumstances at her home in Sindh province. GeoNews reported that she may have been poisoned by people allegedly pressuring her to enter a forced marriage.
Violence against female influencers has also included attacks that did not result in death. In August 2025, content creator Ayesha Akram was assaulted by a mob while filming at Lahore’s Greater Iqbal Park on Independence Day. ABC News reported in September that the incident was part of a broader pattern of violence against female influencers, noting that at least eight women influencers had been killed in Pakistan during the preceding year.
Bibi’s family has maintained that her murder was connected to a financial dispute rather than her social media presence. Nevertheless, her killing comes amid a growing pattern of violence and harassment involving Pakistani women who have built substantial audiences online.
