A Pakistani court has sentenced a 23-year-old man to death for the murder of TikTok influencer Sana Yousaf, who was shot dead at her home in Islamabad last year after repeatedly rejecting his advances. Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka on Tuesday convicted Umar Hayat of intentional murder and ordered him to pay Rs 2.5m (£6,700) in compensation to Yousaf’s family, according to Dawn. The death penalty is subject to confirmation by the Islamabad High Court, according to Samaa TV.
According to police, Hayat forced his way into Yousaf’s family home and shot her in front of her mother and aunt before fleeing with her mobile phone. Prosecutors said Hayat was arrested in Faisalabad within 20 hours of the killing. The court heard that Hayat had developed a one-sided obsession with Yousaf after online interactions, travelling from Jaranwala to Islamabad to meet her around her birthday in May 2025. When she refused to see him, he returned carrying a 30-bore pistol and shot her.
Yousaf, originally from Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was a popular figure on TikTok and Instagram with a combined follower count of some 1.3 million. She was known for posting videos about fashion, skincare and lifestyle content. Her murder sparked outrage in Pakistan and renewed debate about harassment faced by female social media creators.
Speaking outside the courtroom, Yousaf’s father said the family had “been waiting for today for the past 11 months”. “This verdict is not just for me as an individual, it is for the entire society,” he said. “This is a lesson for all such criminals in society that if they commit such an act, they can get such a result.” Yousaf’s mother said “the culprit has been handed the right punishment” and thanked the judge, media, police, and lawyers for supporting the family.
Hayat retracted his confession that prosecutors claimed he had made before a magistrate, saying that police had falsely implicated him under pressure generated by wide social media attention to the case. He told the court he had never met Yousaf, never gone to her house and never rented the vehicle allegedly used in the crime, according to Dawn. He also alleged that police had tortured him in custody and forced him to sign blank papers.
