AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Islamabad: A court in the Pakistani capital city of Islamabad on Saturday charged a man with killing 17-year-old TikTok creator Sana Yousaf. Yousaf, a first-year medical student, was killed at home in Islamabad on June 2 after she reportedly rejected a man’s advances.
According to Deutsche Welle, Hayat was detained by Islamabad police on June 3, one day after the murder of Yousaf. This action followed a report by Sana Yousaf’s mother, Farzana, who informed the police that a man entered her home and shot her daughter. Hayat had reportedly confessed to investigators that he traveled to Islamabad on May 28, a day before Yousaf’s birthday on May 29. He reached out to Yousaf, seeking to meet her, and when she refused, he broke into her home and killed her. Hayat also reportedly admitted to stealing Yousaf’s phone and erasing their conversations.
The killing of Yousaf shortly after her birthday sparked outrage in Pakistan and led to protests in Islamabad demanding an end to patriarchal violence. According to the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, 28% of women in Pakistan between the ages of 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, and 6% have experienced sexual violence. Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing human rights defenders, reported that roughly 1,000 women die due to honor killings every year in Pakistan.
“Violence against women and girls – including rape, murder, acid attack, domestic violence, denial of education, sexual harassment at work, and child and forced marriage – is a serious problem throughout Pakistan, and the government has not taken meaningful steps in report,” HRW stated in its latest rights report on Pakistan. The killing of Yousaf is only the latest high-profile case of violence against women in Pakistan in recent years, with other notable cases including the attack on Sobia Batool Shah in 2024 and the murder of Noor Mukadam in 2021.