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Who was Sana Yousaf? 17-year-old Pakistani TikToker shot dead in Islamabad
Sana Yousaf, a 17-year-old TikTok influencer, was shot dead by an unidentified assailant at her home. The police are investigating the motive.
Sana Yousaf, a 17-year-old influencer with a strong digital presence on TikTok and Instagram, was shot dead at her residence in Islamabad on Monday, according to media reports.
Sana Yousaf was shot at close range by an unidentified assailant, who was a visitor at her home. The attacker could have been a relative, according to SAMAA TV, which reported that the influencer had been “fatally shot by a guest”. “The killer reportedly entered the house and opened fire before fleeing the scene,” a report in The Express Tribune stated.
The body of the influencer, who succumbed to her injuries on the spot, was shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for a post-mortem. While a police investigation is underway to apprehend the attacker, no arrests have been made in the case so far. While the motive for the killing remains unclear, the police are probing all angles, including that of honour killing, reports suggest. The incident, which took place within the Sumbal police station jurisdiction, comes on the back of a growing number of such cases in Pakistan recently.
Who was Sana Yousaf?
- Sana Yousaf, who amassed a large following owing to her content on TikTok, hailed from Upper Chitral in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
- She was residing in Islamabad's Sector G-13. Born on June 2, 2008, Sana was the daughter of a well-known social activist. A now-viral video on Instagram, posted a day before the incident, shows her cutting a cake as she celebrated her birthday.
- With around 4,92,000 followers on Instagram and a separate account for brand collaborations, Sana's videos on culture and lifestyle, which incorporated humour at times, were mainly focused on the youth population on the platforms. Her videos related to youth empowerment and those on women's rights also resonated with her following. The teen influencer had more than 4 lakh followers on TikTok.
The incident sparked outrage on social media, with #JusticeForSanaYousuf trending on Instagram and X. “Sana Yousaf's murder is a stark reminder of the dangers women face, both online and offline. We must demand justice and ensure no more lives are lost this way,” an X user posted on the influencer's death. “She deserved to live. To thrive. To speak,” another user wrote.
