First Lady and Member of the National Assembly, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, has strongly condemned the tragic murder of 17-year-old TikToker Sana Yousaf, calling it a chilling reminder of the violence faced by women and girls for asserting their autonomy.
In a heartfelt statement, Aseefa expressed her condolences to Sana’s family, the grieving community in Chitral, and everyone mourning what she described as a “senseless loss.”
“Sana was just a girl — with ambition, with dreams, with a life ahead of her,” Aseefa 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.”
Sana was murdered in her home in Islamabad on June 2 — just one day before her 17th birthday — by a 22-year-old man who had repeatedly contacted her online. After allegedly stalking her and loitering outside her house, he took her life when she refused his advances. He was arrested within 24 hours of the crime.
Sana had amassed over 800,000 followers on TikTok, where she shared lip-sync videos, skincare routines, and brand promotions — becoming a recognizable face in the Pakistani social media scene.
Aseefa used the opportunity to denounce the broader culture of male entitlement and the normalization of violence against women under the guise of tradition or honor.
“This mindset — that a woman’s rejection is an insult, that her choices must be controlled — it’s old, it’s cruel, and it’s killing our daughters,” she said. “My mother, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, broke those walls with her own strength. She 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 addressed the wave of online victim-blaming that followed Sana’s murder, calling out those who tried to use her social media presence to justify her death.
“There is nothing — no app, no photo, no video — that excuses murder,” Aseefa said. “It’s disturbing to see people using Sana’s TikTok content to rationalize her killing. If that’s the logic, are we saying millions of girls across Pakistan are also fair targets? This mindset is not just dangerous — it’s inhumane.”
Concluding her message, Aseefa offered words of support to young women across Pakistan:
“To every girl watching this unfold — don’t let them silence you. You have the right to dream, to speak, to exist without fear. Don’t back down. If you do, they win. But if we keep pushing forward together, we’ll build a country where girls aren’t blamed for their own deaths, but celebrated for their lives.”
