‘We have nothing to do with this’: UK seeks deportation, Pakistan refuses to take back grooming gang leader Shabbir Ahmed
The British government faces a new hurdle in deporting Shabir Ahmed, one of the leaders of the Rochdale child grooming gang, after Pakistan reportedly 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 child rapes and sexual assaults, claims he tore up his passport decades ago and renounced his Pakistani citizenship, The Telegraph reported.While British authorities dispute whether the surrender was done legally, Pakistani officials insist their records show he is no longer a national of that country.
Pakistan refuses to accept deportations
Pakistani ministers and officials told the UK that Ahmed could not be deported to Pakistan because he was not recognized as a Pakistani citizen, The Telegraph reported.“The UK is discussing possible changes to the law to deport Shabir Ahmed, but to where? He is not our national,” a Pakistani minister told the newspaper.“He was born in Pakistan but after leaving Pakistan when he was around 13 years old, he has been living in the UK. It is inexcusable that the UK should take all measures against him because of his criminal behavior – but that is what the UK should do. We have no stake in this,” the minister added.A Pakistani government official also told The Telegraph that official records show Ahmed renounced his Pakistani citizenship decades ago and has neither a Pakistani passport nor a national identity card since then.The official said Pakistan would review the case only if Britain provided evidence that Ahmed failed to complete the legal process of renounced citizenship.
UK reviews laws amid diplomatic challenge
The BBC reports that British officials are in talks with Pakistan to explore all possible options to remove Ahmed from the UK.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer asked Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to review the case after it was discovered that provisions in the Immigration Act 1971 currently prevent Ahmed from being deported.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 Immigration and Asylum Bill currently before Parliament to remove this legal barrier.However, even if the law changes, deportation will 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 the legal and diplomatic complexities of the case.
Victims say they feel unsafe
The BBC reported that Ahmed had been released under strict licensing conditions to a 24-hour guarded residence and monitored by a GPS electronic tag.According to the Home Office, any breach of these conditions will result in his immediate return to prison.Some of Ahmed’s victims said they were “scared” by his release and no longer felt safe.
Similar cases have failed
The dispute relates to an earlier failed attempt to oust 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 British efforts to deport them.Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp called for a tougher approach, suggesting Britain should consider cutting foreign aid to Pakistan if the country continues to refuse to accept convicted criminals Britain seeks to deport.
