Umar Hayat has denied the charges in the Sana Yousaf murder case on Saturday (today) and pleaded not guilty at the hearing in the Additional District and Sessions court in Islamabad.
The case formally went to trial today and was heard by Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka.
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Sana Yousaf, a 17-year-old TikToker, was shot and killed in Islamabad’s G-13 Sector in June. According to police, she was shot at close range inside her home. The killer reportedly entered the house, opened fire, and then fled the scene. A murder case had been registered against the accused, Umar Hayat, at the Sumbal Police Station.
Charges against the accused include murder and snatching the victim’s mobile phone. “You have been accused of murdering Sana Yousaf — what do you have to say?” the judge asked the accused.
“I have not committed any such crime. All of this is false,” said the accused Umar Hayat
When asked what he pleaded in the charges of phone snatching, the accused replied that all charges levied against him are false and pleaded his innocence.
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The case of Sana Yousuf’s murder has formally begun trial, and witnesses are called for the next hearing. The court has adjourned the hearing until September 25, and a charge sheet has been drawn up with the court formally framing the charges.
Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka presided over the last hearing on September 13, where Hayat was produced in court and given copies of the police challan. According to investigators, Hayat has confessed to shooting Yousaf inside her home.