Two foreign nationals have accused a close relative of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and four others of kidnapping
July 3, 2026: A major controversy has erupted in Pakistan after Lahore Police registered a case against Muhammad Raza Dar, a close relative of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, on charges of kidnapping, gang-rape and extortion involving two foreign women. According to the FIR, the victims—Stefanie Adnana Maroun, a French national, and Astrid Robinson Bracho, a Venezuelan national—met Raza Dar in Singapore in October 2025. Police said he later invited them to Pakistan, arranged their visas, and allegedly abducted them along with four accomplices after they arrived in Lahore.
According to the complaint, the accused allegedly took the women to an abandoned house, demanded ransom, physically assaulted them and subjected them to sexual violence. One victim alleged she was gang-raped by three of the accused, while the other also reported severe sexual assault. The FIR further states that the accused allegedly looted their cash and threatened to kill them and sell their organs if additional ransom demands were not met. Lahore Police have registered the case at the Defence C Police Station, arrested Muhammad Raza Dar and his four alleged accomplices, and conducted medical examinations of both women as part of the ongoing investigation.
The case has attracted widespread political attention due to Muhammad Raza Dar’s reported family links to Pakistan’s ruling establishment. Ishaq Dar is closely related to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, while Dar’s son, Ali Dar, is married to Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Asma Sharif and serves as an adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The high-profile case has intensified political scrutiny as investigators continue their probe into the allegations.