Pak court indicts grandson of deputy PM Ishaq Dar, 7 others in Lahore rape case

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's grandson, Muhammad Raza Dar, and seven others have been indicted in the gang rape case involving two foreign women in Lahore. The indictment comes weeks after police cleared Raza Dar of the rape allegations.According to news agency PTI, the eight suspects were formally charged by Lahore's Additional District & Sessions Judge Rafaqat Ali Gondal on Tuesday. All of them, who are currently in judicial custody, appeared before the court for the indictment proceedings and pleaded not guilty, a court official said on Wednesday."Lahore's Additional District & Sessions Judge (AD&SJ) Rafaqat Ali Gondal on Tuesday framed charges against the suspects who pleaded not guilty," the official said. The judge directed the prosecution to produce its witnesses on December 9, paving the way for the formal trial to begin.COURT INDICTMENT OVERRIDES EARLIER POLICE FINDINGSThe indictment is particularly significant because Punjab Police had earlier taken Raza Dar's name out of the rape allegations, despite the victims accusing him and his associates in the case. In an investigation report submitted to the trial court, police said they had found no evidence that Raza Dar and four other suspects had sexually assaulted the women. Instead, investigators accused three other men, who were employed by Dar, of committing the sexual assault. The court proceedings, however, mean that all eight suspects will now face formal charges in the case. The indictment itself does not amount to a finding of guilt, and the prosecution will have to present evidence during the trial.The case centres on two foreign women -- Stephanie Adnana Mau-Arun from the Netherlands and Astrid Robinson Baracho from Venezuela -- who travelled to Pakistan in June for what they believed would be a business-related meeting.$500,000 CRYPTO DEAL UNDER SCRUTINY According to the police investigation, the women had met Raza Dar in Singapore in 2025 and introduced him to a cryptocurrency investment opportunity. Dar initially invested money and received returns, the report said. He subsequently invested more than USD 500,000 in the venture, but allegedly stopped receiving profits or getting his money back."However, this time, the women did not give any profit or return the amount to the suspect," the police report said.Investigators said Dar later invited the women to Pakistan, telling them that they would meet another investor who could help resolve the business dispute. The women arrived in Pakistan and initially stayed at a hotel in Islamabad. They later travelled to Murree, which is a popular hill station, which police said they did willingly.The allegations escalated after the women were taken to a house in Lahore's Defence Housing Authority, where investigators said they were detained and forced to repay the money.WOMEN FORCED TO TRANSFER $19,500Police alleged that the women were held against their will and forced to transfer USD 19,500. The investigation report said armed men guarded them and threatened them with weapons and a broken piece of mirror."The armed men guarded the women at the house, threatened them with a knife, a gun and a piece of broken mirror, and warned that they would be killed and their body parts sold if they failed to meet the demands," police said, as quoted by PTI.The women eventually managed to escape while being taken towards Lahore airport, according to investigators. Police said the vehicle carrying them met with an accident, providing an opportunity for them to get away. The women subsequently approached authorities and recorded their statements.- EndsWith inputs from PTI