Islamabad court has sentenced Umar Hayat to death in the high-profile murder case of 17-year-old social media influencer Sana Yousaf. Read more for all the updates on the hearings and the verdict!
Sana Yousaf, a 21-year-old female content creator from Chitral, was shot dead on June 2, 2025, in her home – her safe space in Islamabad. She was widely known among young girls for her beauty and makeup content and also had a sizeable youth following because of her short viral reels. Ever since the news of her murder came out, the social media world went into shock and voiced its concerns about how safe this country is for women, and where exactly can a woman feel safe if not even in her own home. People on social media called for justice and stood in support of Sana Yousaf and all the girls like her, who are influencers and in the public eye and don’t feel safe anymore.
According to the reporting and prosecution accounts presented in court, 23-year-old Umar Hayat was accused of entering Sana’s residence and allegedly opening fire at her, which ultimately killed her. This came after she rejected him and was not attending his calls and replying to his texts. The police reached the spot on time and caught him. He has been behind bars since then
Over the span of these 11 months, the courtroom proceedings revealed a mix of emotional testimony, forensic evidence, and legal arguments over the validity of statements made during investigation. One of the final developments came just a day before the verdict, when Umar Hayat reportedly withdrew his earlier confession in court, claiming he had been falsely implicated and denying the charges against him.
Despite these arguments, the court on May 19, 2026, delivered its final verdict in the Sana Yousaf murder case, sentencing Umar Hayat, the accused, to death for murder. The judge ruled that the prosecution had successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, relying on witness testimony and supporting material evidence presented during the trial.
The decision has been met with appreciation from people all over the country who believe that this is an example that justice does prevail, as this is one such case which has been getting extensive media coverage since the day Sana was killed. While the verdict has been pronounced, legal experts note that Umar Hayat still has the right to appeal in higher courts, which means the case isn’t closed yet and that the sentence still has to be carried out. Now, the people of Pakistan are closely watching and waiting for the verdict to be executed and for the accused to be punished under the law and order of the country.
To know more about the incident, click here!
This is a developing story.
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Sources: DAWN News, The News International, and The Express Tribune.
