One Rejection, Two Bullets, a Nation Still Silent
by Imad Wahab
ISLAMABAD
I recently watched a Netflix series that disturbingly parallels Sana’s case. A chilling line from the show haunted me:
“Dad, you’re not reading what they’re doing. It’s a call to action by the manosphere.”
Eighty percent of women are attracted to 20% of men.
You must trick them 'cause you'll never get them in a normal way.
The show explores the growing influence of the manosphere a toxic online community promoting misogyny, male supremacy, and dangerous ideologies. One of its core ideas? The 80/20 rule: that 80% of women are only attracted to 20% of men. To them, women are prizes to be won, tricked, or coerced not human beings with agency.
From incels (involuntary celibates) to red pill believers, these ideologies have trickled into real life. Sana’s murderer might never have read a manifesto but he lived out its message. Rejection? That was her mistake. Retaliation? That was his right.
The Dangerous World of Gen-Z Misogyny
Gen-Z, particularly those born before 2010, are growing up in a digital jungle. From TikTok to Reddit threads, they’re being fed language and ideologies that don’t even exist in dictionaries.
And the Red Pill Theory (the belief that men are the true victims of modern society)...
...are creating a culture where masculinity means domination and rejection is seen as humiliation.
Starmer ( British Prime Minister ) said he backed Netflix's decision to make the "groundbreaking" series available to watch for free in schools across the country.
"As a father, watching this show with my teenage son and daughter, I can tell you - it hit home hard," he said in a statement after meeting "Adolescence" co-writer Jack Thorne, charities and young people at his Downing Street office.
In a sector of Islamabad G-13 17-year-old girl named Sana Yousuf was shot dead in her own home. She was a popular TikTok creator, originally from Chitral, known for her vibrant presence on social media. But behind the filters and trending audios, her life ended in tragedy at the hands of Umar Hayat, a man who couldn’t take no for an answer.
The suspect, Umar Hayat, reportedly fired two bullets into Sana’s chest. The Islamabad Police later confirmed that the motive was repeated rejection of Umar’s advances. Arrested within 20 hours in Faisalabad, his statement to the police was chillingly simple: she refused him, again and again.
This wasn't an isolated event. It echoed the infamous line from Pakistani dramas:
“Agar woh meri nahi ho sakti, to kisi aur ki bhi nahi ho sakti.”
What Our Society Chose to See
In the wake of Sana's murder, Pakistan reacted in two unsettlingly different ways. Many mourned her loss, horrified that a teenage girl could be killed so coldly for exercising her autonomy.
But another group predominantly male, celebrated. To them, she wasn’t a child brutally murdered, but a “beacon of immorality” extinguished. Why? Because she was on TikTok.
The Pakistani Reality: A Man Problem
Sana’s fame brought her story into the spotlight. But what of the countless Pakistani women silenced without hashtags, headlines, or justice?
They’re buried in silence—grieved in private, forgotten in public.
She wasn’t the first. She won’t be the last.
When Silence Kills
Sana Yousuf dared to live, and for that she was silenced.
In a world where fragile egos feel threatened by a simple “no,”
Her death wasn’t a tragedy. It was a verdict.
Until we raise men, not monsters...
Until we teach respect, not revenge...
Until saying “no” doesn’t cost a girl her life...
There will be more Sanas.
And our silence will be the weapon.
About the Author: Imad Wahab is a political scientist currently studying at the International Islamic University Islamabad.