Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabbir Ahmed
London: Pakistan is demanding the extradition of political dissidents from the UK if Britain wants to extradite released Rochdale gang leader Shabbir Ahmed.British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to explain on Monday how she plans to change the law to allow it to be reinstated.Ahmed, 73, who moved to the UK in 1976 aged 14 from the Pakistani state of Punjab, was convicted of 30 offences, including rape, sexual assault and trafficking of girls as young as 12, in 2012. He held dual British and Pakistani citizenship when convicted.The UK stripped him of his British citizenship in 2016, however was unable to deport him because he arrived in the UK before 1971, and is exempt from deportation under Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971.
But even if the law changes, Pakistan refuses to accept it.An official told the Daily Telegraph: “Pakistan cannot be forced to agree to terms and conditions suitable only for the UK. The Pakistan it is dealing with now is not the Pakistan it dealt with a few years ago. It is a completely different kind of government, one that will not be blackmailed.”A source with close ties to the Pakistani government told TOI: “Pakistan is in no mood to accept the demands of the British government as Shabir has been living in the UK for 60 years.
He was just born in Pakistan. He is a British citizen to us, and his crimes are a matter for the United Kingdom. They did the right thing by prosecuting him. If anything, they could give him a worse punishment. “This is not dirt you can throw at our door.”Pakistan’s demands include that the United Kingdom extradite dissidents wanted by Islamabad. They include Shehzad Akbar, a minister in former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet, Adil Raja, a YouTuber and former Pakistani army officer, and Altaf Hussain, the London-based founder of the Nationalist Opposition Movement.“There are people who are using British soil to destabilize Pakistan, in violation of many British laws, but the UK has done absolutely nothing about them,” the official told The Telegraph.The UK is unlikely to extradite any of these political opponents, which could lead to a deadlock. The UK could introduce visa sanctions or withdraw foreign aid from Pakistan, something the Conservatives are seeking to achieve.
