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Senator Vawda urges Ishaq Dar resignation after arrest

Published 5 July 2026

A political controversy has erupted in Pakistan following the arrest of a relative of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in connection with the alleged abduction and gang-rape of two foreign women in Lahore. Senator Faisal Vawda, a lawmaker widely regarded as having close ties to the military establishment, has publicly demanded Dar's resignation, arguing the case has severely damaged the country's international image.

The incident involves two women, one from the Netherlands and the other from Venezuela, who were allegedly abducted in Lahore on June 29. Police have arrested four suspects, including Muhammad Raza Dar, whom investigators have identified as a relative of the deputy prime minister. A fifth suspect remains at large. A Lahore court remanded the four arrested men to five days of police custody on July 2.

According to investigators, the case may stem from a financial dispute involving cryptocurrency investments. Police sources said Raza Dar first met the women in Singapore last year, where they were reportedly partners in a cryptocurrency venture. He is alleged to have later arranged business visas for them to travel to Pakistan.

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