ISLAMABAD: A local court on Tuesday convicted Umar Hayat and sentenced him to death in the murder case of 17-year-old TikTok star Sana Yousaf.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, while announcing his judgment in the Sana Yousaf murder case, sentenced Umar Hayat to death under section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Sana Yousaf was shot dead at her residence in Sector G-13/1 on Jun 2, 2025. The court also handed the convict a 10-year prison term under section 449 of the PPC and imposed a fine of Rs 200,000.
Additionally, under section 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), he was sentenced to one year in prison along with a fine of Rs 100,000.
Earlier, during final arguments, prosecutor Raja Naveed Hussain said that the prosecution had produced 27 witnesses before the court. He said the accused was arrested the day after the incident and was subsequently carried out his identification parade.
He further argued that medical evidence from a doctor at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital confirmed the severity of the injuries, stating that the victim had been shot with the intent to kill. The bullet injuries caused damage to Sana Yousaf’s heart and lungs, he said while quoting doctors.
The prosecutor also told the court that the victim’s mobile phone contained the accused Umar Hayat’s number and chat records. He added that investigators recovered the mobile phone, which was later identified by the victim’s father at the Malkhana. The prosecution further stated that call data and location details also linked the accused to the case.
The prosecution maintained that all facts of the case had been presented before the court, along with medical and digital evidence, and requested that the accused be awarded the death penalty twice.
On the other hand, defence counsel Rizwan Elahi told the court that the right of the accused to a fair trial should be ensured. He argued that no CCTV footage had been produced to establish the presence of the accused at the crime scene and cautioned the court against being influenced by external pressure or public opinion.
During the hearing, the judge remarked that the court should not be pressured by petitions or public sentiment and that the case would be decided strictly on legal merits.
Talking to the media after the court’s ruling, the father and mother of the victim commended the judgment and said that the judiciary has delivered the sentence in line with justice. We were waiting for this day for 11 months, Sana Yousaf’s father said, adding that the day has finally come.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026