Rukhsar Ahmed, just elected to AJK assembly on PML-N ticket with 22,376 votes, was arrested by Greater Manchester Police in July 2024 over alleged rape and trafficking of vulnerable girls in 1990s Manchester.
Courtesy: Murtaza Ali Shah (UK) | Crime & Politics Desk | MediaBites.com.pk
A man who won a seat in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly just days ago on a Pakistan Muslim League-N ticket was arrested in the United Kingdom over allegations of historic child sexual abuse — and reportedly skipped a police bail appointment while actively campaigning in AJK.
The revelation, first reported by The Guardian, has sent shockwaves through Pakistan’s political landscape and raised urgent questions about PML-N’s candidate vetting process.
Who Is Rukhsar Ahmed
Rukhsar Ahmed, 62, is a former Pakistani state minister who contested and won the LA-4 constituency in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s July 27 elections, securing 22,376 votes and defeating PPP’s Sohaib Arshad who received 15,851 votes.
His electoral victory was celebrated as a PML-N success in one of AJK’s most watched constituencies.
What his voters did not know — or at least were not told — was that he had already been arrested in the United Kingdom.
The Arrest — Child Sexual Abuse in 1990s Manchester
According to The Guardian, Rukhsar Ahmed was arrested by Greater Manchester Police in July 2024 on suspicion of rape and trafficking vulnerable girls in care during the 1990s.
The allegations relate to at least two women, while the wider investigation concerns claims of child sexual exploitation involving several victims — placing this case in the deeply disturbing category of organized child sexual exploitation that British authorities have been investigating across multiple northern English cities.
Ahmed was released on police bail and was required to answer bail at a Manchester police station last month.
He did not attend.
Campaigning in AJK While on Police Bail
This is the detail that has shocked observers in both Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
While Ahmed was required to answer police bail in Manchester — in connection with allegations of historic rape and child trafficking — social media posts showed him actively campaigning across Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
His stated reason for not answering bail was illness. The campaign photographs told a different story.
He subsequently stood in and won the AJK election on a PML-N ticket — becoming a member of the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly while a UK police investigation into child sexual exploitation allegations remained formally active against him.
PML-N’s Candidate Vetting — Serious Questions
PML-N has not publicly commented on the case. But the questions the party must answer are unavoidable.
Did the party know about Ahmed’s July 2024 arrest in the UK when it awarded him a ticket for the AJK elections? If it did not know, why did its candidate vetting process fail to discover that one of its nominees was on active UK police bail for alleged rape and child trafficking? And if it did know, what was the justification for proceeding with his candidacy?
Pakistani political parties have faced criticism repeatedly for inadequate vetting of candidates with legal proceedings against them. This case — involving allegations of child sexual exploitation in one of the UK’s most sensitive ongoing investigations — demands a specific, clear, and immediate response from PML-N’s leadership.
Legal Position — No Conviction, Investigation Ongoing
Under UK law, Rukhsar Ahmed is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. He has not publicly commented on the allegations. No criminal charges or conviction have been announced and the investigation remains ongoing.
However, the combination of a formal UK police arrest, active bail conditions, reported failure to answer bail, and simultaneous election campaigning in AJK — all while holding elected office — creates a situation that demands transparency from both Ahmed himself and from PML-N.
The children allegedly exploited in Manchester in the 1990s deserved protection then. They deserve justice now. And Pakistan’s electorate deserves to know the full facts about the people elected to represent them.
Disclaimer: Rukhsar Ahmed is presumed innocent under UK law. No criminal charges or conviction have been announced. This report is based on published reporting by The Guardian and publicly available electoral data. We took if from the Geo’s reporter Murtaza Ali Shah in UK. MediaBites invites Rukhsar Ahmed and PML-N to share their official response for publication.
