A district and sessions court granted on Wednesday bail to Hassan Zahid, the man accused of harassing and attempting to abduct TikToker Samiya Hijab, in one case, but kept him in police custody in another case.
Judge Aamir Zia approved his bail against surety bonds of Rs20,000, while extending his physical remand for five days in a separate FIR registered at the Shalimar Police Station. The court ordered Zahid to fully cooperate with investigators. Arguments on his pre-arrest bail plea are now set for September 9. Zahid has claimed innocence, telling the court he is being “falsely implicated” to pressure and blackmail him.
The proceedings took a dramatic turn when Zahid, during his appearance before Judicial Magistrate Yasir Mehmood Chaudhry, admitted wrongdoing. In response to a direct question about threats and abduction, Zahid said simply: “Sir, I made a mistake.”
The police had requested an eight-day remand, but the magistrate sent him back into custody for five days instead.
Samiya Hijab, who earlier shared CCTV footage of the incident on Instagram, has alleged that Zahid had been harassing her for months and pressuring her into marriage. She told police that on August 31, when she stepped outside to return unwanted gifts, Zahid humiliated her, slapped her repeatedly, and tried to drag her into a white car.
Her FIR includes serious charges: assault, harassment, criminal intimidation, defamation, robbery, and attempted kidnapping. She has also submitted call recordings and CCTV footage to the police.
In an Instagram post, Samiya thanked the police for swift action but said Zahid had repeatedly threatened her to withdraw the complaint. “I am not one of those girls who cannot raise their voices for their rights,” she wrote.
The case has drawn comparisons to the killing of TikToker Sana Yousuf, who was shot dead in Islamabad in June after rejecting a man’s advances. Samiya herself referenced her friend’s murder, saying the threats against her feel all too real.
Meanwhile, old clips of Samiya and Zahid together have surfaced online, fuelling speculation about their past connection. Public reaction, however, has largely focused on outrage at the violence she faced and calls for stronger accountability in cases of harassment against women.
