ISLAMABAD(National Times)- An Islamabad sessions court sentenced Umar Hayat, the main accused in the Sana Yousaf murder case, to death on Tuesday after finding him guilty of killing the teenage TikTok influencer at her residence in June last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hayat was arrested<\/a> a day after 17-year-old Yousaf was shot dead in her Islamabad house on June 2, 2025. On Monday, 23-year-old Hayat \u2014 son of a retired government official and a TikToker himself \u2014 retracted<\/a> his earlier confessional statement<\/a> admitting to Yousaf\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka announced the verdict on Tuesday, handing Hayat the death sentence under Section 302(b) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for committing qatl-i-amd<\/em> (intentional murder) of Yousaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The death sentence would be subject to confirmation by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) under Section 374 (sentence of death to be submitted by court of session) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The court also directed the convict to pay Rs2.5 million as compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased under Section 544-A of the CrPC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the written judgment, in case of default in payment of compensation, the convict would further undergo six months\u2019 simple imprisonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The court also awarded separate punishments under other provisions of law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under Section 392 (punishment for robbery) of the PPC, Hayat was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs200,000, while under Section 499 (defamation) of the PPC, he was handed another 10-year sentence with a fine of Rs200,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under Section 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the PPC, the court awarded him one year of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs100,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judge Majoka ordered that all sentences would run concurrently and also extended to the convict the benefit of Section 382-B of the CrPC, allowing the period already spent in custody to be counted towards the sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his statement recorded under Section 342 of the CrPC on Monday while testifying before Judge Majoka, Hayat maintained he was falsely implicated in the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He repeatedly avoided answering questions put to him in the absence of his counsel, later recording his detailed statement after his lawyer appeared before the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hayat was arrested from Faisalabad within 20 hours<\/a> of the incident, according to Islamabad Inspector General (IG) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, who termed it a case of \u201crepeated rejections\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The culprit was indicted<\/a> by the court of Judge Majoka on September 20, where he had denied the charges against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yousaf, a TikTok star with more than a million followers on social media platforms, was known for sharing videos of her favourite caf\u00e9s, skincare routines, and traditional outfits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her killing drew nationwide condemnation<\/a> and reignited debate over women\u2019s safety in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking to the media after the verdict\u2019s announcement, Yousaf\u2019s parents welcomed the court decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yousaf\u2019s mother, Farzana, said she had been served justice, thanking her lawyers\u2019 team for their efforts and the police for their cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She further thanked the judge and the media, noting that the \u201cmedia supported us from the beginning\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe culprit has been handed the right punishment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The victim\u2019s father, Yousaf Hassan, said, \u201cWe had been waiting for today for the past 11 months [\u2026] and the judiciary has given its verdict in the spirit of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanking his lawyers, he said: \u201cThis verdict is not just for me as an individual; it is for the entire society. This is a lesson for all such criminals in society that if they commit such an act, they can get such a result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hassan termed the verdict \u201cjustice for all girls\u201d and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the parents\u2019 lawyers hailed the judge\u2019s \u201cpatience\u201d, claiming that personal attacks were made against him through the accused and his legal team during over eight months of court proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also alleged the use of \u201ctactics to further complicate the case\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his confessional statement<\/a> recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC in July 2025, Hayat had detailed the motive behind the killing, how the crime was committed, his escape plan, and where he disposed of the murder weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He had admitted to developing a one-sided obsession with Yousaf after online interactions, and said jealousy and suspicion drove him to commit the crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the statement, Hayat had travelled from Jaranwala to Islamabad on May 28 to wish Yousaf on her birthday. When she did not meet him, he became convinced she was deliberately avoiding him. He added that on June 2, he returned to the capital after renting a Toyota Fortuner and carrying a 30-bore pistol, intending to confront her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, in his recent statement, Hayat denied the sequence of events, claiming that he had never quarrelled with Yousaf, never requested to meet her and had had no contact with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He alleged that he was implicated due to public pressure generated on social media, as both he and Yousaf were well-known TikTokers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last month, IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar rejected<\/a> Hayat\u2019s petition seeking the transfer of his trial from Judge Majoka\u2019s court to another court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\u2018Justice for all girls\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Retraction of confessional statement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n