Pakistani TikTok Star Shamso Bibi Shot Dead in Taxila: Four Suspects Arrested Over Fatal Shooting

Pakistani TikTok star Shamso Bibi, known online as Ayesha Gilamana, was shot dead by two men in Taxila city near the capital Islamabad. She was 28 years old.

Bibi was killed on 14th August, Pakistan's Independence Day, amid growing concerns of violence against women social media influencers. The local police arrested four suspects, including two who may have helped the main shooter evade arrest.

Killers Reportedly Opened Fire On Bibi's Vehicle

Bibi's father claimed in his complaint that she had received a call from a man named Kashif who wanted her to leave her house. Bibi, along with her brother and sister, left the house in a car together before two men on a motorbike opened fire on them. One of the bullets hit Bibi on her neck, killing her instantly.

A surveillance video circulating around social media showed the assailants gunning down Bibi's car and firing at close range. The car then veered out of control and collided with a dumper truck, inflicting severe injuries on Bibi's sister.

'My daughter Shamso Bibi used to make TikTok [videos] and had been doing so for nearly three to four years,' Mr Sahibzada said in his complaint. 'It had over 30-35 million likes and over one million followers.'

Mr. Shabizada detailed in his complaint that his daughter had received death threats over repayment demands by two men. He said he had 'strong reason to believe' that either of those two men was responsible for Bibi's death.

'The attack was carried out to silence her and take her money,' her family said in their complaint.

Bibi's family have since taken down her million-follower TikTok account and her Youtube channel after her death.

Increasing Violence Against Pakistani Women Influencers

Bibi's murder is one of many in a string of violence against Pakistani women content creators.

In June 2025, 17-year old influencer Sana Yousaf was killed by a man who went inside her home. It was reported that he committed the crime because she repeatedly rejected his advances. The man was recently sentenced to death.

Some of these cases are even more harrowing. In January 2025, a Pakistani man confessed to killing his daughter after she refused to delete her TikTok account, with his reason being that the videos she posted compromised her 'honour'.

The online responses to violence against these women included blaming them for their own deaths. Comments on Yousaf's death included 'You reap what you sow', or 'it's deserved, she was tarnishing Islam'.

A report by independent journalist Ammara Ahmad criticised a social media page who mocked the small number of attendees to Bibi's funeral. 'Pakistani women receive zero grace in death. Shamso Bibi was a young influencer who was murdered in Taxila, Pakistan. And this is the headline on a social media page. Not sure if the images are from her actual funeral but shame on whoever came up with this.'

Bibi's death is in danger of becoming a statistic to a systemic issue with misogyny. Over 700 women have been killed in the first six months of 2025, with a quarter of them being 'honour killings'.