Pakistan’s reported refusal to accept convicted Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed has created a legal impasse, complicating UK deportation efforts and triggering proposed immigration law changes.
WEBDESK – MEDIABITES – MANCHESTER EVENING
A reported refusal by Pakistan to accept the deportation of convicted Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed has created a fresh legal and diplomatic challenge for the UK government.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Ahmed was released from prison on July 2 after serving 14 years of a 19-year sentence handed down in 2012 for raping and sexually exploiting multiple underage girls in the high-profile Rochdale grooming gang case.
Ahmed has already been stripped of his British citizenship and now holds only Pakistani nationality. However, British authorities have been unable to deport him because of a legal provision linked to the Immigration Act 1971, which protects a limited group of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago from removal.
The report claims the UK Home Office is preparing legislative changes to close what ministers see as a loophole preventing the deportation of serious foreign offenders.
The Manchester Evening News further reported that Pakistan is seeking the extradition of two political dissidents living in the UK in exchange for accepting Ahmed’s return. However, the report says Islamabad is unlikely to receive him under the current circumstances.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to unveil proposals on Monday aimed at strengthening the government’s powers to deport foreign criminals and amend the existing immigration framework.
The case has reignited debate in Britain over the deportation of convicted offenders whose citizenship has been revoked but whose removal depends on the cooperation of another country.
Neither the UK government nor Pakistani authorities have officially confirmed the reported negotiations, and Islamabad has not publicly responded to the claims.
Why it matters: The case has implications beyond Britain, as it places Pakistan at the centre of an immigration and diplomatic dispute that could influence future UK-Pakistan cooperation on deportation and extradition matters.
