Who is Muhammad Raza Dar, arrested in foreigners’ gangrape case? Know his links to Pakistan Deputy PM Ishaq Dar | World

Muhammad Raza Dar, one of the four suspects arrested in connection with the alleged gangrape of two foreign women in Lahore, is reportedly the grandson of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. His arrest has added a major political dimension to a case that has sparked outrage in Pakistan and drawn widespread public attention.

According to a court official, Raza Dar was identified by the women as the “prime suspect” when all four accused were produced before a magistrate. The other suspects arrested in the case are:  Hassan Raza, Sikandar Khan and Sajid Ali. All four suspects were sent to five-day police remand by a Lahore court on Friday (July 3). “Since it is a very sensitive matter, as a close relative of Deputy PM Ishaq Dar is involved in this high-profile case, police are investigating it from all aspects,” a police officer said.

What is the case?

The two foreign nationals — one from the Netherlands and the other from Venezuela — were allegedly abducted and gangraped by five men in Lahore on June 29. The women were rescued after Lahore police received a call from Spain from the father of one of the victims. 

Following the complaint, police registered a case under Sections 365A (kidnapping) and 375A (gang rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code and arrested four suspects, while the fifth accused remains absconding and search operations are underway to trace him.

According to police, the women told investigators that they had met Muhammad Raza Dar in Singapore in October 2025, after which he invited them to visit Pakistan. 

A second police official told news agency PTI that the women and Raza Dar were associated through a cryptocurrency venture, and that he had arranged business visas for their visit.

The women arrived in Lahore on June 29, where, according to one of the victims, Raza Dar and the other suspects abducted them and took them to a house where they allegedly gangraped them and demanded ransom for their release.

Pakistan’s Deputy PM faces flak after grandson’s arrest

A Pakistani senator with close ties to the country’s military establishment on Saturday demanded the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Vawda said on Saturday that Pakistan is being “run like a family corporation”, as he highlighted the gangrape incident and described the prime suspect as “alleged grandson” of Ishaq Dar. “He (Raza Dar) was arrested only after the intervention of the relevant foreign embassy. After such serious allegations, how can Ishaq Dar continue to represent Pakistan before the world as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister?” Vawda said in a post on X.

“If there is any concern for Pakistan and its international image, Ishaq Dar should resign immediately,” he said.

Ishaq Dar is one of Pakistan’s top political leaders and currently serves as the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. He has also been part of Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach linked to the Iran-US mediation effort. Recently, Dar travelled to Tehran along with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir, where foreign dignitaries had gathered to pay tribute to late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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