Pakistan has demanded the extradition of political dissidents living in the United Kingdom (UK) as a condition for allowing Britain to deport Shabbir Ahmed, the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, a report quoted a senior Pakistani government official as saying.
The official told an international media outlet that Britain needs to “respect the issues that matter” to Pakistan instead of resorting to “arm-twisting” and threats over Ahmed’s return.
Ahmed, 73, was released from prison last week after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for 30 child rape offences. He remains in the UK despite being stripped of his British citizenship, since he cannot currently be sent back to Pakistan.
His deportation has been blocked because the Immigration Act 1971 exempts Commonwealth citizens who arrived in Britain before 1973 and have lived in the country for at least five years.
Pakistan has so far refused to accept Ahmed and two other Rochdale ringleaders back, arguing they are no longer Pakistani nationals since they renounced their citizenship. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted that Pakistan was willing to think “out of the box” and “beyond normal procedures” to work out terms that could allow Ahmed’s return.
Pakistan has reportedly raised concerns with the UK over several dissidents and activists based in Britain, two of whom are already subject to formal extradition requests. In December, Islamabad sought the extradition of Shahzad Akbar, who once served in former prime minister Imran Khan’s cabinet, along with Adil Raja, a YouTuber and former military officer, over allegations of spreading “fake news” and anti-state propaganda.
Pakistan has also repeatedly asked the UK to hand over other, including the founder of the Muttahida Qaumi opposition movement, who has lived in exile in Britain for three decades.
“There are people using British soil to destabilise Pakistan, in violation of several British laws, but the UK has done absolutely nothing about them,” the official said.
“The UK tells us these miscreants are law-abiding and following UK law. They tell us they have to protect their human rights and free speech. We have shared evidence that they incite hatred, violence and social unrest, but the UK does not listen to us. Why double standards?”
According to the official, negotiations between the UK and Pakistan over Ahmed and other grooming gang members have been ongoing for nearly a year in anticipation of his release.
“Our position is that they [the UK] must listen to us too. Both sides need to apply standards. Pakistan cannot be railroaded into agreeing to terms and conditions that are suitable only to the UK,” he added.
He further claimed that the UK had made threats, both privately and publicly, to impose visa restrictions on Pakistan and cut overseas aid if Islamabad resisted Ahmed’s return.
“These demands are being made about somebody who is now around 75 and who has spent more than 60 years in your country. How is he our national when he is actually not our national? This is arrogance and a colonial mindset. It is unacceptable to us,” the official said, adding that Pakistan expects the UK government and its politicians to respect Islamabad’s legal position.
The official noted that Pakistan had earlier accepted the return of some convicted grooming gang offenders, Hamid Safi and Mohammed Sajid, as “a gesture of goodwill,” but claimed that British demands had increased since then.
“It is a different Pakistan you are dealing with. Arrogance is not acceptable to us. We do not believe in arm-twisting, and the policy of arm-twisting is not going to yield any results,” he emphasised.
“The Pakistan you are dealing with now is not the Pakistan you dealt with a few years ago. It is a very different kind of government, one that will not be blackmailed.”
