Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabbir Ahmed
The UK government faces a new hurdle in its bid to extradite Shabbir Ahmed, a leader of the Rochdale child grooming gang, after Pakistan refused to accept him, saying he was no longer a Pakistani citizen.Ahmed, 73, who was released from prison this week after serving 14 years for multiple rapes and sexual assaults of children, claims he renounced his decades-old Pakistani citizenship by tearing up his passport, The Telegraph reported.While British authorities question whether the surrender was done legally, Pakistani officials insist that their records show that he is no longer a citizen of the country.
Pakistan refuses to accept deportation
According to The Telegraph, Pakistani ministers and officials have told the UK that Ahmed cannot be extradited to Pakistan because he is not recognized as a Pakistani citizen.A Pakistani minister told the newspaper: “There is discussion in the UK about the possibility of changing the law to deport Shabir Ahmed – but to where? He is not our citizen.”The minister added: “He was born in Pakistan but has lived all his life in the UK having left Pakistan at around the age of 13. The UK should do everything it can for him for his criminality, which is unforgivable – but that is for the UK to do. We have no interest in that.”
A Pakistani government official also told The Telegraph that official records show that Ahmed renounced his Pakistani citizenship several decades ago, and since then he has neither held a Pakistani passport nor a national ID card.The official said Pakistan would not review the case unless Britain provided evidence of Ahmed’s failure to complete the legal procedures to renounce his citizenship.
UK reviews law amid diplomatic challenge
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that British officials are holding talks with Pakistan to explore all possible options to remove Ahmed from Britain.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer asked Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to review the case after it emerged that provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 currently prevent Ahmed’s deportation.The law protects Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 and have lived there for at least five years.According to the BBC, the government is considering amending the draft Immigration and Asylum Law currently before Parliament to remove this legal barrier.However, even if the law were changed, deportation would still require Pakistan to agree to accept Ahmed.A Downing Street spokesman said the government had raised the issue with Islamabad and remained committed to deporting foreign criminals, while acknowledging that the issue was legally and diplomatically complex.
Victims say they feel unsafe
The BBC reported that Ahmed was released to accommodation staffed 24 hours a day under strict licensing conditions and monitored using a GPS electronic tag.Any violation of these conditions will result in his immediate return to prison, according to the Ministry of Interior.Some of Ahmed’s victims said they were “scared” after his release and no longer felt safe.
Similar cases have failed
The dispute reflects previous failed attempts to deport two other key figures in the Rochdale grooming gang – Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan.Both men were stripped of their British citizenship, but Pakistan also refused to accept them after they renounced their Pakistani citizenship, hampering UK efforts to deport them.Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp called for a tougher approach and suggested Britain could consider cutting off foreign aid to Pakistan if it continues to refuse to accept convicted criminals the UK seeks to deport.
