LAHORE - The alleged gang rape case involving two foreign nationals in Lahore's upscale Defence housing colony has taken a dramatic turn. The Station House Officer (SHO) leading the investigation, identified as Faryad, has been abruptly suspended and a criminal case registered against him under sections 452 (house trespass) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Two Versions Emerge on SHO's Suspension
While the exact reason for the SHO's suspension remains unclear, two narratives are circulating in the provincial metropolis. A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Nation on Friday that the SHO was suspended due to pressure from higher authorities. He explained that police were urgently trying to record the statements of the victims before the foreign women could leave the country.
"The local judge was not available. The SHO then tried to contact him at his residence to get the statements recorded. But the judge got infuriated after witnessing the police official inside the premises of his residence after midnight," the officer said. The situation escalated when the judge immediately contacted senior judicial officers and filed a formal complaint against the policemen.
"Police were asked to remove the SHO and file the case for house trespass against him. Otherwise, the statements of the victims could not be recorded," the officer added. "So, the SHO was removed and the case was filed."
Social Media Claims vs Police Denials
On social media, some influencers claim the officer was fired because he failed to manage matters when police were trying to secure pre-arrest bail for one suspect, Ahmad Raza Dar, said to be a relative of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. Police officers deny these allegations, stating they tried to get the statements recorded in court and there was no bail issue.
Court Grants Physical Remand of Four Suspects
A court in Lahore on Friday granted police a five-day physical remand of four men suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting two foreign women. The suspects—identified as Ahmad Raza, Sikandar Aziz Khan, Hassan Raza and Sajid Ali—were produced before a judicial magistrate following their arrest on July 2. The Mustafabad police registered the case on the complaint of the caretaker Judicial Resthouse.
Mumtaz Hussain Chheena, the complainant, told police that SHO Faryad along with two other policemen was equipped with firearms when he appeared in the living room of the judicial officer. "They very rudely and threateningly asked the name of the judicial officer and in a threatening way they asked to talk to DIG (Operations) on his phone," the FIR states. The complaint was submitted to the Punjab Police Inspector General for legal action.
Prosecutor Confirms Gang Rape Allegations
In a written order on Friday, the judge noted that police had sought a 14-day physical remand to recover the weapon allegedly used in the offense, recover ransom money and complete the investigation, before granting five days of physical custody. "The allegation is of rape," Deputy District Public Prosecutor Nazar Iqbal told reporters by phone after the court proceedings. "Gang rape took place because there were multiple people, more than one. Additionally, they had kept them hidden at a certain place and then there was a demand for ransom."
The case emerged after the victims, a Dutch and a Venezuelan national, were rescued by police from a location in Lahore's Defense neighborhood. The women had traveled to Pakistan after receiving an invitation from a local acquaintance, Ahmad Raza Dar, whom they met in Singapore in October 2025. Investigators said the women were abducted on June 29 by a group of men who demanded a $1.5 million ransom for their release and repeatedly assaulted them during their captivity.
The rescue operation was launched after the father of one of the women placed an emergency call to Pakistani police from Spain. Investigators tracked the suspects using municipal surveillance cameras and recovered the women within two hours, police said. They added a fifth suspect, a security guard, remains at large. Samples have been collected from the two women, and the suspects will undergo forensic testing to determine whether the samples match, Iqbal said. He added prosecutors would proceed with the case based on other evidence even if forensic results are inconclusive.
Political Fallout: Senator Vawda Demands Ishaq Dar's Resignation
Reacting to the allegations of gang rape involving the grandson of Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Senator Faisal Vawda on Friday demanded Dar step down immediately. Following the shameful allegations against Raza Dar, no one could stand alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar under Pakistan's flag, he said. In a post on X, Vawda claimed that Raza Dar, whom he described as a close relative of Ishaq Dar, was facing allegations of luring foreign women to Pakistan, raping, torturing and extorting them.
He alleged that the suspect was arrested only after the intervention of a foreign embassy and accused the government of attempting to suppress the case. Vawda further claimed that efforts were being made to limit the case to extortion charges instead of rape, while preparations were underway to send the foreign women back to their home country. He also questioned why the victims' statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code had not yet been made public.
The senator criticised both the government and the opposition for remaining silent over the matter, alleging that no major political party or leader had condemned the case. Calling Pakistan a "family corporation," Vawda urged Ishaq Dar to resign, saying that if the government cared about Pakistan's international image, the deputy prime minister should immediately step down. The allegations made by Vawda have not been independently verified, and neither Ishaq Dar nor Raza Dar has publicly responded to the claims.
FIR Registered Under Rape and Kidnapping Charges
A case was registered at Defence-C Police Station after two foreign women accused five men, including Raza Dar, of kidnapping, gang rape and demanding ransom. According to reports, the FIR was registered on the complaint of a Dutch woman, Stephanie Adriana. The FIR includes Sections 365-A (kidnapping for ransom) and 375-A (gang rape) against Raza Dar and the other suspects. The complainant said she first met Raza Dar in Singapore in October 2025, where he invited her and another foreign woman to visit Pakistan. She alleged that Raza Dar arranged their visas.
