Pakistan has officially blamed the United Kingdom for the crimes committed by grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed, doubling down on its refusal to accept him back into the country. Ahmed, 73, was the ringleader of a group that terrorized young girls in Greater Manchester for years.
Ahmed was released last month after serving a sentence for child rape and sex offenses, which began in 2012. Attempts to deport him to Pakistan have triggered a diplomatic dispute, as Ahmed has reportedly renounced his Pakistani citizenship. He left his native country in 1967 at the age of 14.
Despite being stripped of his right to remain in the UK, effectively leaving him stateless, Britain cannot deport Ahmed due to a 1971 law that protects the rights of certain Commonwealth citizens. Pakistan has repeatedly refused to take him back.
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the question of how to handle Ahmed is an "entirely an internal matter of the United Kingdom." The ministry's spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, suggested that Ahmed's crimes may have been a result of being "spoiled" by his life in Britain. Andrabi emphasized that Ahmed is a "British national who spent his entire adult life in the UK and was duly convicted by a British court for reprehensible offences committed on British soil."
"Regardless of where he was born, the onus lies on where he grew up, was raised, groomed, and unfortunately spoiled," Andrabi said. He added that the "government of Pakistan has no connection whatsoever with this matter" and cannot be associated with any decisions regarding Ahmed's release or treatment under British law. Pakistan, he noted, "strongly condemned" child sexual abuse and believes perpetrators should face the "fullest extent of the law, irrespective of race, ethnicity or religion."
These comments have drawn criticism in the UK. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp called the suggestion that the UK was to blame for Ahmed's crimes "deeply repugnant," stating that "Vile paedophile child rapists who came here from Pakistan should all be deported back."
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced plans to amend the 1971 Immigration Act, which currently prevents the deportation of Commonwealth citizens convicted of criminal offenses. This law was originally enacted to protect the Windrush generation and those who came to Britain as citizens of the British Empire.
Even with a potential change in law, Ahmed's removal remains contingent on Pakistan's agreement to accept him, an outcome the country has stated it will not permit. Downing Street confirmed it is continuing to pressure Pakistani diplomats regarding the matter.
In parallel with the diplomatic dispute, British ministers approved £153 million in foreign aid for Pakistan. A Downing Street spokesperson clarified that the aid is directed towards charities and other organizations within Pakistan, not the government directly. The funds are intended to support vital services in Pakistan, which relies heavily on foreign aid due to limited tax revenues, and to build a "safer, more resilient Pakistan" that could reduce "security and migration risks to the UK."