Several users, most of whom appear to be pro-PTI based on previous posts, have shared a comment attributed to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on social media platforms X and Facebook since 3 July 2026, defending the alleged grandson of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in a rape case involving two foreign nationals. But Tarar said no such thing and the picture with a quote attributed to him is manipulated.
On July 2, two foreign women described a multi-day ordeal involving their alleged kidnapping, million-dollar extortion, physical abuse and sexual assault. Police arrested five suspects for alleged abduction and sexual assault after the two women were rescued. Four of the suspects, including a close relative of a senior political figure, were arrested and later sent to five days of physical custody.
The complainant-victim, a citizen of the Netherlands, gave his voluntary statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure following an investigation registered under a First Information Report (FIR) filed at Defense C Police Station. The charges include serious offenses under Sections 375-A (rape) and 365-A (kidnapping for extortion) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
On 5 July, Lahore Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Faisal Kamran said that one of the suspects, identified as Mohammad Raza Dar, is believed to have links with the Deputy Prime Minister. But no credible source or official has identified the suspect as a grandson of FM Dar.
HOW IT STARTED
On July 3, an account appears to be pro-PTI, shared a photo on X claiming it shows Tarar’s statement on the case where he defended FM Dar’s grandson in a rape case.
The statement in the visual reads: “Raza Dar is young, such mistakes happen in youth. If he committed rape, it is not the end of the world. If CCD (Crime Control Department) lets a few people go, what is the problem of social media?”
The post was captioned: “But this was the last thing I needed to hear. I told you didn’t I how shameless these people are.”
The post received 42,400 views.
The same claim and visual was shared on Facebook, as can be seen here, here, hereand here; on X as can be seen here, here, hereand here.
Methodology
A fact-check was launched to determine the veracity of the claim due to high public interest in the case.
A keyword search was conducted to check if any credible Pakistani media had recently reported Tarar’s comments; however, it yielded no results.
An advanced keyword search on X returned a similar post shared by Azaad Digitala Pakistani digital media, dated May 2, 2025. The photo’s caption, a quote attributed to the information minister, reads: “Omer Ayub’s grandfather was the president of Pakistan and my grandfather was also the president, but there is more patriotism in my blood.”
The image has the same barcode as the viral image. Upon inspection, it turned out that the barcode contained an X record of ARY newsdated May 2, 2025.
The ARY news post featured footage from one of the channel’s talk shows, Khabar Muhammad Malick Kay Saath. In the clip, Tarar can be heard sending the same comments as Azaad Digital quoted.
“Omar Ayub’s grandfather was the president of Pakistan and so was my grandfather, but patriotism runs in my blood,” he said, proving that his statement was made in a completely different political context and had no relation to Dar’s grandson or the recent rape case.
A comparison of the viral image with authentic Azaad Digital posts also revealed visual inconsistencies. The font style and font size used in the viral graphic differs from Azaad Digital‘s standard typography and formatting, suggesting that the viral image was digitally altered.
Fact check status: false
The claim that a viral image shows comments made by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar in defense of FM Dar’s alleged grandson and his involvement in a rape case is False.
The viral visual has been addressed and Tarar did not pass such remarks.
