Social media influencer Samiya Hijab, based in the federal capital, has alleged that a man attempted to abduct her outside her residence, prompting swift action by the Islamabad Police, who arrested the suspect within 24 hours.
In a video posted on Instagram, Hijab identified the alleged perpetrator as Hassan Zahid from Lahore, claiming he had been harassing her for months with threats and demands to marry her. She said the suspect appeared at her house, snatched her mobile phone, and tried to force her into his car.
“My mother was ill, my brother wasn’t home. When I stepped outside, he snatched my mobile, sat in his car, and forced me in as well,” Hijab recounted, adding that she managed to record part of the incident.
Referring to the recent murder of TikToker Sana, who was killed in Islamabad earlier this year after reportedly rejecting a proposal, Hijab said: “Before this, my friend Sana died for the same reason — because of rejecting [a proposal]. I do not want to become Sana.”
Hijab appealed to Islamabad Inspector General Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi for protection while praising the police for swiftly registering her complaint. She confirmed in a follow-up video that she had undergone a medical examination, which verified evidence of physical assault. She added that police had deployed officers outside her residence after she reported receiving fresh death threats from the suspect.
“Check the audacity of this man — this morning he threatened again to kill me if I did not withdraw the FIR,” she said.
Hijab expressed gratitude to the Islamabad IG and SHOs Shafqat and Ishaq for their support, saying the suspect’s arrest within 24 hours proved that perpetrators could not act with impunity. “He thought he could abduct me, force me to marry him, and nothing would happen. That animal was arrested within 24 hours,” she said.
Calling for an exemplary punishment to deter future crimes, she remarked: “Before anyone dares cast their eyes upon a sister or daughter, they should think 10,000 times.”
Hijab vowed to continue raising her voice not only for her own safety but also for “every girl who is feeling unsafe right now.”
