Rape charges dropped against Pakistan FM Ishaq Dar's relative despite incomplete police report

Muhammad Raza Dar, a relative of Pakistan's deputy prime minister and the foreign minister Ishaq Dar, has been cleared of sexual assault charges in a case involving the alleged gang rape of two foreign women in Lahore. Notably, the sexual assault and rape charges have been dropped despite the absence of a complete police investigation report.

According to an incomplete police investigation report submitted to a trial court, Muhammad Raza Dar now remains accused of other offences, including kidnapping, illegal confinement and extortion. The report has cleared five suspects, including Raza Dar, of the sexual assault allegations, saying investigators found no evidence connecting them to the alleged rape. Three other suspects have instead been charged with sexually assaulting the women.

The case involves two cryptocurrency business partners from the Netherlands and Venezuela, who alleged that they were abducted, held against their will and sexually assaulted after travelling to Pakistan in June 2026.

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Notably, Lahore DIG Operations Faisal Kamran confirmed in July 2026 that police had identified Raza Dar and established his family connection to Ishaq Dar, Dawn reported. The exact relationship remains unclear. Early reports described Raza Dar as Ishaq Dar's grandson, while ARY News said he is the grandson of Ali Dar, the deputy prime minister's son, which would make him the great-grandson.

How did the alleged crime unfold?

According to the police report cited by Dawn, the women met one of the three main suspects in Singapore in 2025 and invited him to invest in their cryptocurrency business. After receiving returns on his initial investment, he reportedly put in another $500,000. The women allegedly failed to pay the promised profits or return the additional amount.

In June 2026, the suspect invited the women to Pakistan, saying he would arrange a meeting with another investor. After staying at a hotel in Islamabad and visiting Murree, they were allegedly taken to a house in Lahore's Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Phase VII, on June 29.

Investigators alleged that the women were held there and pressured to repay the money. They were reportedly forced to transfer around $19,500, which was converted into Pakistani rupees through a Lahore-based bank account. Two suspects allegedly received Rs 1.1 million each.

The women also claimed that armed men guarded them and threatened to kill them, warning that their body parts would be sold if they failed to meet the demands.

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Women escaped after car accident

The police report said the women managed to escape on July 1 when the car taking them to the airport met with an accident near Bhatta Chowk. They raised an alarm, prompting the relative of the senior political figure to flee. Police subsequently took the women into their protection.

Both women left Pakistan on July 3.

Police said they recovered Rs 4.3 million allegedly extorted from the complainants, along with a mobile phone and a vehicle believed to have been used in the crime. Firearms were also seized, leading to separate cases under the Arms Ordinance.