Eight Accused Formally Charged in Lahore Rape Trial Involving Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister's Grandson

A court in Pakistan has formally framed charges against eight men, including Raza Dar, the grandson of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, over the alleged gang rape of two foreign women.

Court Proceedings

Additional District and Sessions Judge Rafaqat Ali Gondal conducted the hearing in Lahore on Tuesday, where all the accused appeared from judicial custody and entered pleas of not guilty. The judge instructed the prosecution to bring forward its witnesses on December 9 to officially start the trial.

Police Investigation

The case stems from an incident in June, when two women—one from the Netherlands and the other from Venezuela—arrived in Lahore on a business trip. According to police records, the victims met Raza Dar in Singapore in 2025 and invested money with him in a cryptocurrency venture. After receiving initial profits, Dar invested more than 500,000 dollars, but the women later failed to return the funds or pay further profits. The police report states that Dar invited the victims to Pakistan in June under the guise of meeting another investor, after which they stayed at an Islamabad hotel and traveled freely to Murree. They were subsequently taken to a house in Lahore's Defence Housing Authority, held against their will, threatened with weapons including a knife, a gun, and a broken mirror, and forced to transfer 19,500 dollars. The victims escaped when their vehicle crashed while being transported to the Lahore airport, and medical examinations later verified the rape. Notably, Punjab police had initially cleared Raza Dar and four of his associates, instead naming three of his low-paid employees for the assault, before all eight suspects were ultimately indicted.

Context

High-profile criminal cases involving politically connected individuals often draw intense public scrutiny regarding the independence and thoroughness of local law enforcement agencies. Legal proceedings of this nature typically involve extensive scrutiny of initial police findings versus later judicial determinations by the trial court.