Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari Condemns Murder of Teen Influencer Sana Yousaf

ISLAMABAD (RNN TV) — First Lady and Member of the National Assembly, Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, has strongly condemned the brutal killing of teenage social media influencer Sana Yousaf in Islamabad, describing the incident as a tragic reminder of the violence women and girls continue to face for asserting their autonomy.

Sana Yousaf, who had amassed a large following on TikTok and Instagram, was fatally shot at her home in Sector G-13 on the eve of her 17th birthday. The attack occurred in the presence of her mother and aunt. According to police, the suspect—identified as Omar Hayat—was apprehended from Faisalabad within 20 hours of the incident. Authorities allege he murdered Sana after she repeatedly rejected his advances. A local court has approved a 14-day judicial remand to facilitate his identification parade.

In a public statement, Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the killing and extended her condolences to Sana’s family and the grieving community in Chitral.

“Sana was just a girl—with ambition, with dreams, with a life ahead of her,” she said. “She had every right to live freely and safely. What happened to her wasn’t just an act of violence—it was a punishment for saying no. And that should horrify every one of us.”

Aseefa called for a societal reckoning with the deeply entrenched attitudes that normalize violence against women. She said the mindset that sees a woman’s refusal as an insult or a challenge to male control is “old, cruel, and killing our daughters.”

Referring to her late mother, former Prime Minister Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, Aseefa emphasized the legacy of women’s empowerment and the need to protect the progress that has been made.

“My mother didn’t just lead—she opened doors for millions of women to follow. We owe it to her legacy, and to girls like Sana, to keep those doors open.”

She also condemned the wave of online abuse targeting Sana after her death, where some attempted to justify the murder by pointing to her social media presence.

“There is nothing—no app, no photo, no video—that excuses murder. It’s disturbing to see people using Sana’s TikTok presence to explain away her death. If that’s the logic, are we saying millions of girls across Pakistan are also at risk? This kind of thinking is not just dangerous—it’s inhumane.”

Concluding her message with a note of solidarity, Aseefa urged young girls across Pakistan not to let such violence silence them.

“You have the right to dream, to speak, to exist without fear,” she said. “If we keep pushing forward—together—we’ll shape a country where girls aren’t blamed for their own deaths, but celebrated for their lives.”

Sana Yousaf had nearly 800,000 followers on TikTok and close to 500,000 on Instagram. Her murder has sparked outrage across the country, renewing urgent calls for action against gender-based violence.

Source: Web Desk