Sumaira Rajput Found Dead In Ghotki As Sana Yousaf Murder Trial Advances

In a disturbing reflection of the growing dangers faced by young women in Pakistan's digital space, another TikToker has been found dead, weeks after the high-profile murder of 17-year-old Sana Yousaf in Islamabad shocked the nation.

The latest case involves Sumaira Rajput, a content creator from Ghotki, whose body was discovered at her home under suspicious circumstances.

According to DSP Anwar Sheikh, Sumaira's 15-year-old daughter told police that her mother had been under pressure from several individuals pushing for a forced marriage, and that she may have been poisoned.

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Two suspects have been taken into custody, and a toxicology report is awaited. Ghotki police have not yet registered an FIR, saying investigations are ongoing.

Meanwhile, in the Sana Yousaf murder case, police submitted the investigation challan to the Prosecution Branch at Islamabad's District and Sessions Court. Sana was fatally shot in her home on June 2 by 22-year-old Umar Hayat, who was arrested a day later in Faisalabad. The accused allegedly killed her after she refused to befriend him.

The challan names Umar Hayat as the killer, referencing his confession under Section 164. A two-member prosecution team comprising Raja Naveed Kiyani and Muhammad Adnan will now scrutinize the report before the trial formally begins.

The back-to-back tragedies involving female TikTokers, one shot for rejecting a man, the other allegedly killed over forced marriage pressure, have sparked widespread concern over the safety and autonomy of young women, especially those with a public presence online.

Critics argue that despite their visibility, these women remain vulnerable to the same societal violence and patriarchal control that digital platforms once seemed to liberate them from.

As investigations continue in both cases, calls for justice grow louder, not just in courts, but across a society grappling with its treatment of women in the public eye.

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