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A 17-year-old Pakistani social media influencer was shot dead inside her home in Islamabad on Monday. Police suspect it to be a case of honour killing.

Sana Yousaf, a popular TikTok content creator from Upper Chitral with nearly 5 lakh followers on Instagram, was reportedly killed at close range by a relative, according to Pakistani broadcaster Samaa TV.

The incident took place at her home in Sector G-13. Quoting police officials, media reports said the suspect had a conversation with Ms Yousaf outside her home before entering and opening fire. “The suspect entered the home, fired multiple shots, and escaped,” a police officer told local media.

Ms Yousaf was reportedly shot twice at point-blank range. She died on the spot.

Her body has been shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for post-mortem examination.While no arrests have been made yet, police are investigating multiple angles, including the possibility of an honour killing. Honour killing is the murder of a person by family members who believe the victim brought shame or dishonour upon the family.SAMAA TV reported the attacker may have been a guest at her residence. “Sana Yousaf, who hailed from Upper Chitral and resided in Sector G-13 of Islamabad, was fatally shot by a guest who had come to visit her at her residence. The assailant fled the scene immediately after the incident, and police have launched a manhunt to apprehend the suspect,” the channel said, citing police sources.

Sana Yousaf rose to fame through her TikTok videos and was widely followed for her content. The Chitral teenager was the daughter of a social activist and used her platforms, especially TikTok and Instagram, to promote cultural pride, women’s rights, and educational awareness. Her content often sheds light on Chitrali traditions.The case adds to a growing list of violent incidents targeting young female influencers in the country. Earlier this year, a 15-year-old girl named Hira was shot dead in Quetta by her father and maternal uncle because she posted videos on TikTok.

Her father, Anwarul-Haq, grew enraged when Hira refused to stop using TikTok. He then conspired with his brother-in-law to kill her. Police arrested both men, who later confessed to the murder.The incident took place at her home in Sector G-13. Quoting police officials, media reports said the suspect had a conversation with Ms Yousaf outside her home before entering and opening fire. “The suspect entered the home, fired multiple shots, and escaped,” a police officer told local media.

Ms Yousaf was reportedly shot twice at point-blank range. She died on the spot.

Her body has been shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for post-mortem examination.

Professional militaries are not affected by temporary losses as overall outcomes are more important than such setbacks, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said Tuesday afternoon in a special lecture on ‘Future Wars and Warfare’ organised by the Savitribai Phule University in Pune.

Asked about the armed forces’ losses during Operation Sindoor – India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack – the General referenced the loss of wickets in a cricket match, saying that if a team were to “win by any means, then there’s no question about how many wickets…”

“When I was asked about losses on our side… I said these are not important. The results are important. It would not be very correct to talk about losses. Suppose you go to a cricket match and you win, by any means, then there’s no question about how many wickets, balls, players…”We can take out this data and share it… we can tell you how many aircraft were destroyed, how many radars were hit…” he trailed off, seeming to emphasise prioritising outcome over losses.

‘Jet Being Shot Down Not Important’

The General’s reference to losses during Operation Sindoor follows remarks last week at an event in Singapore, in which he confirmed, for the first time, India had suffered some setbacks.

This was after rumours persisted that Pakistan air defences had shot down multiple Indian fighter jets, including some of the newly purchased, French-made Rafale aircraft.

India’s top military official also told his Pune audience the focus of Operation Sindoor, its designated outcome, was to stop the Pak deep state from launching further terror attacks against India.

The Pahalgam attack, the General said, was an act of “profound cruelty… which is unacceptable in this modern world” and had led to “a kind of hatred (in India for Pak) …a huge revulsion”.

Pakistan, he said, had been inflicting damage following the “bleeding by a thousand cuts” philosophy, but Delhi had drawn a line in the sand against cross-border terrorism with Operation Sindoor.

He also spoke about Pak Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir “spewing venom” against India and Hindus weeks before the attack to emphasise his point about “bleeding India a by thousand cuts”.

“What happened in Pahalgam was profound cruelty towards the victims… because all were killed with headshots in front of their families and their children, and they were shot in the name of religion… India has been the victim of a maximum terror acts… almost 20,000 people have been killed,” he said.

India’s all-party delegation, led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Baijayant Panda, has returned after a landmark diplomatic mission to key countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The delegation, comprising members of Parliament (MPs), visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria and briefed international partners on India’s response to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam under Operation Sindoor, its broader fight against cross-border terrorism.

The delegation also included BJP members of parliament (MPs) Nishikant Dubey, Phangnon Konyak, Rekha Sharma, along with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, former union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and nominated Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu. Former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also accompanied the legislators.Speaking to NDTV after landing in India, Rajya Sabha MP Sandhu said that the core message conveyed throughout the trip was India’s strong position against terrorism and its commitment to peace.

“India will no longer remain silent in the face of terrorism from Pakistan and will respond strongly,” Sandhu declared, underlining India’s stance of zero tolerance toward terrorism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

During the tour, the delegation engaged in high-level meetings with officials and parliamentarians in each country, highlighting India’s message of unity in diversity and promoting stronger bilateral ties.We have interacted with the officials and parliamentarians of the respective countries and informed the world of the message that India stands for – unity in diversity,” Sandhu said.

The outreach also focused on expanding diplomatic and strategic cooperation in counter-terrorism, economic collaboration, and cultural exchange. Sandhu noted that the delegation carried forward the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of projecting India as a peaceful, inclusive, and resilient democracy on the global stage.

“We have put out PM Modi’s message and vision – of zero tolerance towards terror – and made it clear that India is determined to play a decisive role in global peace and security,” he said.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday countered Pakistan’s latest water-related scare narrative, calling it a ‘baseless attempt’ to stir fear over a hypothetical scenario involving the Brahmaputra River.

In a strongly worded post on X, Mr Sarma responded to the claim, “What if China stops the Brahmaputra’s water to India?” by laying out a fact-based rebuttal.

“Let’s dismantle this myth, not with fear, but with facts and national clarity,” Mr Sarma wrote, pointing out that the Brahmaputra is a river that grows in India, not one that shrinks due to upstream control.

According to the Chief Minister, China contributes only about 30 to 35 per cent of the river’s total flow, primarily from glacial melt and limited rainfall over the Tibetan plateau. The remaining 65 to 70 per cent of the river’s volume is generated within India through monsoon rains and inflows from its numerous tributaries in the Northeast.Citing hydrological data, Mr Sarma noted that while the river’s flow at the Indo-China border (Tuting) averages between 2,000 and 3,000 cubic metres per second, it dramatically increases to 15,000-20,000 cubic meters per second in Assam during the monsoon, evidence of India’s dominant contribution to the river’s volume.Mr Sarma further argued that even in the unlikely event of China reducing water flow, the move might actually benefit India by alleviating the recurring floods in Assam that displace hundreds of thousands each year.

He asserted that China has never officially threatened to weaponise the Brahmaputra and dismissed the suggestion as speculative fear-mongering.

Taking a swipe at Pakistan, Mr Sarma remarked that the country, which has long benefited from the Indus Waters Treaty, is now “panicking” as India reclaims its rightful water sovereignty.

“Brahmaputra is not controlled by a single source. It is powered by our geography, our monsoon, and our civilisational resilience,” he concluded.Let’s dismantle this myth, not with fear, but with facts and national clarity,” Mr Sarma wrote, pointing out that the Brahmaputra is a river that grows in India, not one that shrinks due to upstream control.

According to the Chief Minister, China contributes only about 30 to 35 per cent of the river’s total flow, primarily from glacial melt and limited rainfall over the Tibetan plateau. The remaining 65 to 70 per cent of the river’s volume is generated within India through monsoon rains and inflows from its numerous tributaries in the Northeast.

Citing hydrological data, Mr Sarma noted that while the river’s flow at the Indo-China border (Tuting) averages between 2,000 and 3,000 cubic metres per second, it dramatically increases to 15,000-20,000 cubic meters per second in Assam during the monsoon, evidence of India’s dominant contribution to the river’s volume

Three days from now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Jammu and Kashmir to inaugurate what is nothing short of an engineering marvel. The inauguration of the Chenab bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge, will be followed by the opening of the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat train service, likely to be a game-changer for tourism in Kashmir.

This is especially significant against the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 innocents dead and disrupted what was turning out to be a great tourist season. Kashmir is now eager to host tourists; this railway push may be just what it needs.The rail bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project and the government has said it is arguably “the biggest civil-engineering challenge faced by any railway project in India in recent history”. Approved back in 2003, the bridge has taken over two decades to complete.

Standing 359 metres above the river bed level, this is the highest railway bridge in the world. For perspective, the bridge is 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris and nearly five times the height of Qutub Minar. A whopping 28,660 megatonne — 2,86,60,000 kg — of steel suitable for use in temperatures ranging from -10 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius has been used to build the bridge. The 1.31-km bridge has been built at a cost of 1,486 crore.Building the Chenab bridge was a massive engineering challenge. The area’s topography, climate and remote location were major obstacles. The Himalayan region is considered to be a tall task for engineering projects and transporting manpower to the site is a big challenge in itself. Also, the bridge needed to be strong enough to support railway movement and withstand bad weather. Decades of research, consultation and work have now brought this seemingly impossible task to reality. The bridge is designed to withstand high wind speeds up to 266 km/hour and earthquakes of the highest intensity. The bridge is designed in such a way that even if a pier supporting the structure gets damaged, the bridge will continue to be operational and trains can pass through at a low speed.The Chenab bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, a 272-km mega project carved through some of the most geologically complex terrain on Earth. The government has invested over Rs 42,000 crore in this project that is not just an engineering wonder, but a strategic asset. According to government documents accessed by NDTV, over 90 per cent of this route built on 943 bridges and 36 major tunnels, including T-50, India’s longest railway tunnel stretching 12.77 km.

Besides boosting tourism, this project will ensure year-round transport of goods, including essential healthcare supplies, to the Valley that was often cut off during its punishing winters. It is also a boon for traders in the Valley, including its apple growers, who will be able to send their supplies to Delhi within a day.The railway link to Kashmir has been a priority for the Narendra Modi government ever since it came to power in 2016. The idea behind the railway push was simple: development vs terrorism. Improving connectivity to the Valley, the government reasoned, will boost tourism and business, dealing a massive blow to terror. Earlier, travelling to Kashmir was a challenge was many. Air connectivity was not affordable for everyone and road networks were vulnerable to Kashmir’s climate. But with the complete rollout of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla link, tourism is likely to get a massive boost in Valley. This is another feather in Railways’ cap as it has, yet again, surmounted impossible odds to connect India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.In fact, Prime Minister Modi was to inaugurate the Chenab Bridge and flag off a special edition of Vande Bharat on April 19, but the visit was cancelled. Three days later, terrorists killed 25 tourists and a Kashmiri man in cold blood at Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley. The attack crossed several red lines in its brutality. Never before had tourists been targeted in Kashmir in such a way. The Pahalgam attack raised big questions on the tourism prospects in the Valley, which had been receiving record visitors for the past couple of years. Kashmiri traders took to the streets to protest against the terror attack, and hoped that this would not derail the Valley’s journey to normalcy and prosperity after decades of uncertainty due to militancy.The inauguration of the Chenab bridge and the opening of fast train services to Kashmir may work wonders for Kashmir. The Railways have designed a special Vande Bharat for the Valley. This train is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to ensure safety and comfort in challenging climate conditions. It has silicone heating pads to prevent water from freezing and overheat protection sensors to ensure uninterrupted supply even at sub-zero temperatures.

Coming less than two months after the terror attack, this inauguration is also a huge message from the Centre, that it will not step back from its development objective in Kashmir, come what may. For Kashmir, this bridge and the trains that will pass through will bring tourists, supplies — and hope.

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