ISLAMABAD:
First Lady and MNA Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari has condemned the murder of 17-year-old social media influencer Sana Yousaf, asserting that the tragedy must not be allowed to intimidate young girls or deter them from pursuing their ambitions.
Terming the incident a grim reflection of the violence endured by women and girls simply for asserting their autonomy, Aseefa extended heartfelt condolences to Sana’s family, the wider Chitral community and all those mourning the senseless killing.
“Sana was just a girl — with ambition, with dreams, with a life ahead of her,” Aseefa said in a statement. “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.”
Aseefa pointed out that the violence from male entitlement was not a new phenomenon, nor an isolated one, saying that it must no longer be excused under the pretext of cultural or traditional values.
“This mindset that a woman’s rejection is an insult, that her choices need to be controlled — it’s old, it’s cruel, and it’s killing our daughters. My mother, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, broke those walls with her own strength. She didn’t just leadshe opened doors for millions of women to follow. And we owe it to her legacy, and to young women like Sana, to keep those doors open.”
Responding to the social media commentary that emerged after Sana’s death, some of which appeared to blame her for her online presence, Aseefa rejected any attempt to justify the violence through victim-blaming narratives.
“There is nothing — no app, no photo, no video — that excuses murder. It’s disturbing to see people using Sana’s TikTok presence to explain away her death. If that’s the logic, are we saying millions of girls across Pakistan are also at risk? This kind of thinking is not just dangerousit’s inhumane.”
“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 shape a country where girls aren’t blamed for their own deaths, but celebrated for their lives.”
Earlier this month, 17-year-old Sana Yousaf was shot and killed in Islamabad.
