Following the murder of 17-year-old influencer Sana Yousaf, Ayeza Khan joined her fellow celebrities and the internet in speaking out about the issue. However, her priorities didn’t quite align with what netizens were expecting from her.
Instead of condemning the murder or the perpetrator, Ayeza chose to discuss the repercussions of sharing one’s personal life on social media. “Let’s all understand the pros and cons of social media, especially when it comes to our security. Keep your addresses, car numbers, regular spots, and children’s details private,” she wrote.
“It’s not safe. It’s just not safe. Share less. Times have changed,” she emphasised. “Recognise that the audience you have today isn’t the one you personally chose. It’s from all over the world.”
The Meray Paas Tum Ho actor believes that it is one’s own responsibility to guard what they put out in the digital world. “Let’s take responsibility for what we share,” she said. Adding a prayer, she concluded, “May Allah protect us all and keep us in good company. Ameen.”
‘Tone deaf much?’
Although Ayeza’s sentiments stemmed from a place of concern for the detrimental impact of social media on one’s life, netizens called out her statement for lacking sensitivity and veering towards victim blaming.
“Someone lost their life because some man had a similar toxic ideology as the roles your husband plays in every single drama he stars in, and your main takeaway is ‘let’s protect ourselves’? Tone deaf much?” an Instagram user questioned.
The user didn’t mince their words, urging Ayeza to tell her actor-husband Danish Taimoor to stop romanticising toxic masculinity in his drama serials and have empathy for the family who lost their young girl.
“You should at least have some form of the humanity that you were preaching a few weeks ago, telling others to not victim blame,” the user continued. “You seriously need to check yourself first and then hire a decent PR team because every statement you make is the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, and insensitive thing ever.”
A different netizen suggested that the Humraaz actor is hypocritical for having an active Instagram account and still putting out such statements. “While your whole life is on your social media account, you still have the guts to shape cold-blooded murder into a lack of self-protection. Please come out of the fancy clothes and glamorous shoots. The victim was not at fault at all. Maybe tell your dear husband to not choose scripts like he does all the time and stop normalising abuse on screens.”
Other criticism ranged from speaking out against male privilege to hoping to de-platform celebrities who perpetuate harmful ideas that influence the wrong minds. Many argued that the problem is not social media but the entitlement that criminals have to commit such heinous crimes without the fear of being watched or punished.
As per the BBC, a 22-year-old man confessed to murdering Sana after being arrested. Authorities believe that Umar Hayat murdered the influencer at her home in Islamabad after she rejected his “offers of friendship”. They informed the BBC that he broke into her house, fired two shots, and fled with her phone.
Sana’s family gathered in Chitral for her burial. Her father, Syed Yousaf Hassan, shared that she was his only daughter a “very brave” one at that. He added that she had never mentioned Umar or reported any threatening behaviour before her life was taken on Monday.
