Pakistan has warned that its cooperation with the United Kingdom (UK) on the return of illegal migrants could be affected if London continues to pressure Islamabad to accept convicted child sex offender Shabir Ahmed, a British newspaper has reported.

Senior Pakistani government officials told the news outlet that Islamabad had maintained close cooperation with Britain by facilitating the return of rejected asylum seekers, visa overstayers and immigration offenders.

However, they said that the UK’s insistence on deporting Ahmed to Pakistan after his release from prison could damage existing agreements on migrant returns and affect broader cooperation on intelligence, security and organised crime.

Pakistani officials also expressed concern over reports suggesting that Britain could impose measures such as visa restrictions on Pakistani nationals and reductions in foreign aid if Islamabad continued to reject Ahmed’s return.

British authorities are seeking to increase the deportation of foreign offenders to ease pressure on overcrowded prisons. Official figures show that 306 Pakistani nationals are being held in UK prisons as of June 30.

Ahmed was released from prison last month after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for multiple child rape convictions.

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced plans to amend immigration laws to remove a legal barrier that prevented the Home Office from deporting Ahmed after his British citizenship was revoked.

Pakistan has refused to accept Ahmed, arguing that he renounced his Pakistani citizenship and has spent most of his life in Britain.

One senior Pakistani official told the newspaper: “Britain’s continued pressure over the Shabir Ahmed case appears to be driven by domestic political pressures rather than by an appreciation of the legal and diplomatic complexities involved. This risks undermining broader bilateral cooperation.”

“We believe that the relations between the two countries should not be jeopardised because of political challenges facing the UK Government at home. Let’s not play politics with each other’s security and be honest,” the official added.

Another official said that Pakistan had consistently worked with successive British governments by accepting the return of failed asylum seekers and immigration offenders after legal proceedings had been exhausted.

“The UK Government has repeatedly told us it’s gold standard cooperation,” the official said.

He also noted that cooperation between the two countries extended beyond immigration and included intelligence sharing, security matters and efforts against organised crime.

“These relations could be affected in all areas if the issue of Shabir Ahmed was forced upon Pakistan. It cannot be one way traffic,” he said.

Pakistani officials also pointed to government data showing that the number of Pakistani nationals returned from Britain increased from 1,158 to 1,437 in 2025-26, marking a 24 percent rise.

According to the figures, the number of failed asylum seekers returned to Pakistan rose from 279 to 486, while returns involving foreign offenders and visa overstayers increased from 879 to 951.

A third Pakistani official described Britain’s attempt to deport Ahmed as “unfortunate”.

“He is a 75-year-old man who has lived for more than 60 years in Britain,” the official said.

“He is, for all practical purposes, a product of British society. It is therefore difficult to understand why the UK expects Pakistan to take responsibility for someone who was raised, lived and committed his crimes in Britain, instead of addressing the matter within its own jurisdiction.”