Another Pakistani female TikTok star, Shamsoo Bibi, popularly known as Ayesha Gilamana, was brutally murdered in broad daylight in the eastern city of Taxila this week after unidentified men opened fire on her.
This is a dangerous trend that has long been brushed under the carpet. Targeted killings and violent attacks on female TikTokers and social media influencers highlight the intersection of digital visibility, intense online misogyny, stalker violence and rigid patriarchal norms.
When women step into the public eye online, they frequently face a volatile backlash from segments of society that view female autonomy and self-expression as violations of conservative traditions or religious codes.
What happened to Shamsoo Bibi?
Fazal Sahibzada, Bibi’s 28-year-old father, said in the complaint that the incident occurred on Aug. 14. He said Bibi, who was also popularly known as Ayesha Gilamana, received a call from a man he identified as Kashif, alias “Kashi”, who told her to immediately come outside their house.
Bibi, her 15-year-old sister Aseema and their brother Naimatullah left the house in their car. Shortly afterwards, Sahibzada said he learned that Bibi had been shot dead and his other daughter had been seriously injured.
Sahibzada said he arrived at THQ Hospital Taxila, where he identified Bibi’s body in the mortuary. Naimatullah told him that two unidentified men, aged between 30 and 35, had fired at their car from a motorcycle near a petrol pump.
The bullets struck Bibi in the neck, killing her on the spot. The firing caused the car to veer out of control and crash into another vehicle, injuring Aseema.
Who was Shamsoo Bibi?
The TikTok world knew her as Ayesha Gilamana, and she had more than 1.3 million followers on the platform.
Her father said Bibi had received threats from two suspects while demanding repayment of money from them.
“My daughter Shamsoo Bibi used to make TikTok [videos] and had been doing so for nearly three to four years,” Sahibzada said in the complaint. “She had amassed around 1.3 million followers.”
Bibi’s official TikTok account could not be found. Her family reportedly deactivated the account following the tragic incident.
