TAXILA: An Additional Sessions Court in Taxila has granted post-arrest bail to one of the accused in the murder case of TikToker Shamsu Bibi, also known as Ayesha Gulamna, and ordered his release.
The Additional Sessions Judge Taxila, Muhammad Azam, announced the order after hearing arguments from the defence and prosecution and examining the case record. During the proceedings, the defence counsel addressed the court on various legal and investigative aspects of the case, challenging the grounds relied upon against the accused and arguing that he was entitled to bail.
After considering the submissions and reviewing the available record, the court accepted the post-arrest bail petition. The order constitutes a determination regarding the accused’s entitlement to bail at this stage of the proceedings and does not amount to an acquittal or a finding on the merits of the murder charge.
The accused, a native of Haripur and uncle of the deceased’s father, was nominated by police as planner of the execution plan. The famous social media content creator Shamsu Bibi was shot dead in the Taxila area on Aug 14, 2026.
The area police subsequently registered a case under sections 302, 324, 109, 201, 311, 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and commenced an investigation.
The FIR was initially lodged against unidentified suspects, with the victim’s father named as the complainant. The police later announced the arrest of five suspects in connection with the case: the victim’s father; her brother; her cousin; her father’s uncle; and the son of her cousin.
Police said investigators examined footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras and obtained assistance from human intelligence and other investigative sources.
According to the police version, close relatives of the victim were also brought into the investigation, and information was obtained concerning the alleged motive and the purported roles of other suspects.
Police had described the incident during the initial investigation as an alleged honour-related killing. The allegations, however, remain subject to proof through the judicial process, and the accused are presumed innocent unless convicted by a competent court.
The case is expected to proceed through further hearings, where the prosecution’s evidence, the defence’s contentions and the alleged roles of the accused will be examined in accordance with law.
Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2026
