By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:45 BST, 19 May 2026 | Updated: 17:13 BST, 19 May 2026
A Pakistani court has sentenced a man to death for murdering a teenage influencer last year after she repeatedly rejected his advances.Sana Yousaf's murder sparked nationwide condemnation and reignited debate over women's safety, after some online comments - alongside condolences - blamed her for her own death.A judge told a packed Islamabad courtroom on Tuesday afternoon that 22-year-old Umar Hayat had been sentenced to death and fined $7,200.Hayat shot 17-year-old TikTok star Yousaf at her home in the capital after she repeatedly rejected him, according to police and the teenager's family.He had spent hours loitering outside her home in the lead-up to her death, police said.Yousaf had millions of followers on social media, where she posted videos about food, fashion and skincare.She also spoke openly about relationship problems, a topic still considered taboo in the Muslim-majority country.News of her killing triggered an outpouring of comments under her final post, a video celebrating her 17th birthday in which she blew out candles on a cake just days before her death. Hayat shot 17-year-old TikTok star Yousaf (pictured) at her home in the capital after she repeatedly rejected him, according to police and the teenager's family News of her killing triggered an outpouring of comments under her final post, a video celebrating her 17th birthday in which she blew out candles on a cake just days before her deathAlongside condolence messages, some users blamed the teenager for her own murder, writing comments such as: 'You reap what you sow' and 'It's deserved, she was tarnishing Islam'.Influencer Waliya Najib wrote: 'This doesn't feel real. You were glowing, just being 17. I'm so sorry this world didn't protect you. Rest in peace, sweetheart.'UK-based content creator Kashaf Ali wrote: 'This is so awful. A literal 17-year-old with so much innocence, killed for what?'In her Instagram profile picture, Yousaf is smiling and holding sunflowers.Yousaf was killed at her home in the capital, Islamabad, on June 2, 2025.'It was a case of repeated rejections. The boy was trying to reach out to her time and again,' Islamabad police chief Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said during a news conference.'It was a gruesome and cold-blooded murder,' Rizvi added.Violence against women is pervasive in Pakistan, according to the country's Human Rights Commission, and cases of women being attacked after rejecting marriage proposals are not uncommon.Earlier last year, a father who moved his family from the United States to Pakistan was arrested after allegedly shooting his daughter dead in an 'honour killing' over her use of social media. Violence against women is pervasive in Pakistan, according to the country's Human Rights Commission, and cases of women being attacked after rejecting marriage proposals are not uncommonAnwar ul-Haq, believed to be a US citizen, was charged with murder after allegedly admitting to shooting his 15-year-old daughter Hira dead.Mr ul-Haq had reportedly forbidden his daughter from making TikTok videos he deemed 'inappropriate' and allegedly decided to kill her when she continued posting online.Hira's family 'had an objection to her dressing, lifestyle and social gatherings', according to police.Police said the father initially claimed an unidentified gunman had killed his daughter, but confessed after being taken into custody for questioning.
