By Our Correspondent
ISLAMABAD – An Islamabad sessions court on Monday sentenced 23-year-old Umar Hayat to death for the murder of teenage TikTok influencer Sana Yousaf, concluding a high-profile case that sparked nationwide outrage over women’s safety.
Judge Afzal Majoka delivered the verdict, which also includes 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs2 million. Hayat, the son of a retired government official and a digital creator himself, was arrested in Faisalabad a day after the 17-year-old influencer was shot dead in her Islamabad home on June 2, 2025. Authorities described the killing as a tragic consequence of “repeated rejections.”
Defence Pivot: Hayat Retracts Confession Before Verdict
In a last-minute legal maneuver on Monday, Hayat completely withdrew his previous confession under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), claiming he was a scapegoat sacrificed to appease public outrage. Despite initially providing a meticulous, self-incriminating account in July 2025—detailing his journey from Jaranwala to Islamabad, a rented SUV, and a 30-bore pistol used out of a one-sided obsession—Hayat pivoted to claim total innocence. He insisted he had never contacted or argued with Yousaf, attributing his arrest solely to the intense social media pressure surrounding their high-profile online statuses.
Legal Hurdles and Final Conviction
The defense’s attempts to disrupt the trial’s momentum proved futile in the months leading up to the final judgment. The Islamabad High Court repeatedly shot down Hayat’s legal challenges, including a rejected petition to transfer the trial away from Judge Majoka’s court. Furthermore, the high court dismissed his objections regarding witness statements recorded via video link, cementing the prosecution’s airtight case. Despite Hayat pleading not guilty during his September 20 indictment and refusing to answer questions without his counsel, the court found the evidence overwhelming, bringing an end to the trial of the brutal killing that cut short the life of a rising social media star.
