Pakistan Rejects UK Efforts to Deport Grooming Gang Leader

Pakistan has stated it has no connection to the United Kingdom’s plan to deport Shabir Ahmed, the former ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang. Ahmed, who was convicted in 2012 for raping and sexually abusing girls as young as 13, was freed from prison early this month and has since been placed under strict licence conditions.

The UK government wants to amend the 1971 Immigration Act, which currently protects Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973, so that serious offenders like Ahmed can be removed. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood argued that the act’s protections should not be used to shield heinous criminals. The proposed amendment would align deportation rules with the removal of citizenship for serious crimes.

Pakistan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tahir Andrabi, said the matter was an internal British issue and the country would not be involved in any decisions about Ahmed’s release or care. Andrabi stressed that the UK’s legal process should remain within its jurisdiction and that Pakistan had no role in the case.

England’s former Deputy Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is slated to become the next prime minister, described Ahmed as a "vile criminal" and expressed strong support for his deportation. Meanwhile, some of Ahmed’s victims have voiced fear and concerns about his release, noting that he will be returned to prison if he breaches any licence conditions.

The outcome hinges on whether Pakistan accepts that Ahmed should be considered for removal per the UK’s proposed legal changes. Until such acceptance is declared, Ahmed will remain on licence in the UK while the UK monitors his compliance with strict conditions, including GPS electronic monitoring.