Last Updated on October 24, 2026 by YeJahan
YEJAHAN REPORT
LAHORE (Oct 24): A major political storm has erupted in Punjab after a foreign national, who previously accused the son of an influential Pakistani contractor of rape, retracted her statement in exchange for an alleged Rs 20 million bribery.
The U-turn by the victim, identified as Diana, has plunged Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz into a fierce legal battle with the Lahore Bar Association, following her tweet in which she said a judge was allegedly involved in taking a bribe.
Police sources reveal that Diana, who originally recorded a formal judicial statement under Section 164 accusing Ahmed Tanvir and two others of rape, has fled to Dubai after releasing a video message declaring the suspects innocent. Investigators allege a sophisticated, cross-border operation was mounted to clear the suspects.
Relatives of the accused, alongside a defence lawyer, reportedly pressed Diana via telephone before the principal suspect’s father flew from London to Azerbaijan to finalise the agreement.
Safdar Shaheen, the defence counsel for Ahmed Tanvir, has strongly denied any involvement. “I have neither met Diana nor spoken to her on the phone, and I did not travel to Azerbaijan,” Shaheen said, adding that he had no knowledge of any financial settlement.
The case took a highly charged political turn after Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz publicly claimed, without naming names, that a rape victim had been paid between Rs 15m and Rs 20m to drop charges, while levelling corruption allegations against the presiding judge.
The legal fraternity has reacted with fury as the Lahore Bar Association has announced criminal proceedings against the Chief Minister under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), confirming they will approach the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to register a formal case.
“The Chief Minister’s allegations against the learned judge are highly condemnable,” said Irfan Hayat Bajwa, President of the Lahore Bar Association, confirming that a formal application for her prosecution will be submitted imminently.
Copyright YeJahan News Network, 2026
