Notices issued to IG, others on plea seeking recovery of Hareem Shah's husband

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to authorities concerned on plea seeking recovery of TikTok sensation Hareem Shah’s husband, who had allegedly gone missing from Karachi last month.

The Sindh Home Department, Inspector General of Police (IGP) and other authorities concerned have been directed to submit their replies to the court a day after the TikToker claimed that her husband, Bilal Shah, “disappeared” after he arrived in Karachi from London last week.

In a video statement to Geo News from London, the social media sensation alleged that her husband was “kidnapped for unknown reasons” but Bilal's family said that he was being questioned in relation to Hareem's social media posts.

Hareem and Bilal had reached London around two months ago after her court case against fellow TikToker Sundal Khattak.

Bilaal left Lonon for Karachi eight days ago and went missing two days after reaching Karachi from a local busy market, said Hareem.

Sources in Karachi said that Bilal told investigators that Hareem was not directly running the Twitter account but someone else was running it with her permission.

Hareem said: “Bilal and I were in London and he went to Pakistan for some work. He was illegally kidnapped by some people in plain clothes. We made a complaint to the local police station but nobody had any idea why he had been picked. We have petitioned the court as well. Bilal has been taken away illegally.”

She further said: “I request the law enforcement agencies to find my husband. He has nothing to do with politics or any activism. He has no previous criminal record. We are worried and going through a tough time.”

A petition was filed in SHC against the “illegal detention” of Bilal allegedly by personnel of law enforcement agencies.

Shahzadi Begum submitted in the petition that her son Syed Bilal had been picked up by personnel of law enforcement agencies on August 27 from the Korangi area and his whereabouts were unknown.

She said the detainee’s wife Hareem was a social media activist and her spouse was arrested because of her political views in social media.

She submitted that her son has nothing to do with any illegal or criminal activities and requested the court to direct the police and other law enforcement agencies to produce the detainee and provide details of cases if any against him.

Hareem, who is now in the UK, was earlier in hot water and faced a Federal Investigation Agency inquiry when she uploaded a video on a social media platform in which she claimed clearing immigration to travel abroad with a large amount of foreign exchange without any check. A case was registered against her by the FIA.