Overview

• An Additional District and Sessions Court in Islamabad formally framed a murder charge under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and cited an alleged theft of the victim’s phone.
• Umar Hayat denied all allegations before Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, stating that the claims were false and entering a not-guilty plea.
• The court drew up a charge sheet and set the next hearing for September 25, when witness testimony is expected to begin.
• Police say the 17-year-old was shot at close range inside her G-13 home in June and allege the killing followed repeated rejection of the suspect’s proposals, a claim the defense contests.
• Yousaf, who had more than a million followers and promoted Chitrali culture and girls’ education, was killed in a case that prompted widespread condemnation and renewed scrutiny of women’s safety in Pakistan.