Ministers have approved a three-year, £153 million aid package for Pakistan, a move that has drawn significant criticism as the country continues to refuse the repatriation of Shabir Ahmed, a convicted grooming gang leader. The Foreign Office announced the funding package shortly after Ahmed was released from prison, where he served 14 years for numerous child sex offenses, including rape.
The decision to allocate substantial aid funds has ignited controversy, particularly as officials in Islamabad have blamed the United Kingdom for Ahmed's crimes. A spokesperson for Pakistan's foreign ministry stated that the country has "no connection whatsoever with this matter" and that Ahmed's fate is "entirely an internal matter of the United Kingdom." The spokesperson further suggested that Ahmed's upbringing and life in the UK, rather than his country of origin, were factors in his actions.
"The individual concerned 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," the Pakistani official said. "Regardless of where he was born, the onus lies on where he grew up, was raised, groomed, and, unfortunately, spoiled. His heinous crimes demand serious introspection rather than a quest to search for extraneous causes."
Opposition figures have condemned the aid package. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called for a halt to aid and visa issuance for Pakistani citizens until the country agrees to take back Ahmed and other nationals convicted of similar offenses. Priti Patel, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, criticized the timing of the announcement, suggesting it was intentionally released on the last day of Parliament's session to avoid accountability.
Reform, a political group, also demanded an end to foreign aid and visas for Pakistan, citing that the country has received over £6 billion in British aid in the past two decades. A spokesperson for Reform stated that continuing aid under these circumstances demonstrates a lack of care for the British public.
Shabir Ahmed, 73, was the ringleader of a gang that preyed on girls as young as 12 in Greater Manchester. He was sentenced to 22 years in 2012 for 30 child rape offenses and an additional 19 years for child sex offenses and trafficking. The court heard that his gang supplied victims with alcohol and drugs before committing gang rapes. Ahmed, who was born in Pakistan and is believed to have moved to the UK at age 14, held dual citizenship before his British nationality was revoked. It is understood he renounced his Pakistani origins.
Ministers had been prevented from deporting Ahmed due to a 1971 law protecting certain Commonwealth citizens. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood recently announced plans to amend this law, stating it should not prevent removals in cases like Ahmed's. However, deportation remains contingent on Pakistan's agreement.
Downing Street has stated that diplomatic pressure is being applied to Pakistan at a senior level, with efforts being made to facilitate Ahmed's deportation. Officials clarified that the £153 million in aid is not disbursed directly to the Pakistani government but to charities and organizations working within the country. Pakistan relies heavily on foreign aid to fund essential services due to limited tax revenues.
The Foreign Office stated that the aid aims to build a "safer, more resilient Pakistan," which in turn is intended to reduce security and migration risks to the UK.
