Pakistan has refused to accept Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, back into the country, halting efforts by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to deport him. Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, informed Miliband during a meeting on Thursday that Pakistan is not legally bound to take Ahmed back, stating that "currently do not have any legislation or formal mechanism under which we can take him back."
Ahmed was released in July after serving 14 years of a sentence for 30 child rape offenses. Despite being stripped of his British citizenship, his deportation is complicated by laws protecting Commonwealth citizens who arrived in Britain before 1973 from removal. Pakistan has previously asserted that Ahmed is a British responsibility, as he renounced his Pakistani citizenship long ago and has spent almost his entire life in the UK.
Miliband, who serves as Foreign Secretary under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, raised the issue with Dar during their first meeting at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Sources suggest a potential deal might involve the handover of Pakistani dissidents, a move unlikely to be agreed upon by the British government.
Taxpayer money is being spent on monitoring Ahmed following his release from prison. He is currently subject to electronic tagging, restricted from certain areas in Oldham and Rochdale, and under constant supervision at a bail hostel, with prohibitions on contacting specific individuals.
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesperson, criticized the government's foreign aid to Pakistan, stating, "Over the last 20 years, Tory and Labour governments have sent £6 billion of British taxpayer money in foreign aid to Pakistan in real terms." He added, "They issued 2 million visas to Pakistani nationals. All in the name of 'soft power'. Yet Pakistan won't even take back the Rochdale Monster. They betrayed British people and will pay the price."
A Foreign Office spokesperson stated, "We are pursuing every available lawful option to deport this criminal, working with the government of Pakistan. We will not give a running commentary on discussions."