What are Pakistan's demands for taking back Rochdale child rapist Shabir Ahmed from the UK?

Britain's attempt to deport convicted Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed has evolved into a diplomatic issue, with Pakistan reportedly linking any agreement on his return to a series of long-standing demands involving political dissidents and activists based in the United Kingdom.

Ahmed, 73, completed 14 years of a 22-year prison sentence last week after being convicted of 30 child sexual offences, including rape, committed against vulnerable girls in Rochdale.

While the UK revoked his British citizenship after his conviction, a decades-old immigration law currently prevents his removal from Britain.

The legal hurdle has prompted the British government to examine possible legislative changes while simultaneously negotiating with Islamabad over whether Pakistan would even agree to receive him.

Why is Britain unable to deport Shabir Ahmed?

Ahmed, known as "Daddy" by many of his victims, arrived in Britain in the late 1960s and held both British and Pakistani citizenship before his conviction.

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In August 2012, he was jailed for 22 years after being found guilty of 30 child sexual offences, including multiple rapes. Following his imprisonment, British authorities stripped him of his UK citizenship, paving the way for what was expected to be his eventual deportation after completing his prison sentence.

However, that process stalled because of provisions contained in the Immigration Act 1971.

Under the legislation, Commonwealth citizens who entered Britain before 1973 and have lived in the country continuously for at least five years benefit from protections that currently prevent Ahmed's removal. Despite no longer holding British citizenship, those provisions mean he cannot simply be placed on a flight to Pakistan.

His victims were informed of the legal obstacle shortly before his release from prison.

The BBC reported that Ahmed left prison on Thursday and has since been placed in 24-hour staffed accommodation while wearing a GPS electronic monitoring tag. The UK Home Office has said any breach of his strict licence conditions would lead to his immediate return to prison.

For many of the women abused by the Rochdale gang, Ahmed's release has reopened old wounds. Some victims said they were "frightened" by his release and no longer felt "unsafe" in their communities.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has instructed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to review the case after growing calls for the law to be changed.

Mahmood is reportedly examining whether sections of the Immigration Act 1971 should be repealed, while the government is also considering amending the Immigration and Asylum Bill currently before Parliament to remove the legal protection preventing Ahmed's deportation.

The Home Office has maintained that every available option remains under consideration, including emergency legislation if necessary.

Why does Pakistan have to agree before deportation?

International deportations generally require cooperation from the receiving country, and Pakistan's agreement cannot simply be assumed.

A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed that discussions with Islamabad are already under way. "We have raised this issue with our counterparts in Islamabad and we are committed to doing everything possible to deport foreign national offenders, and we're clear that they should have no place in this country."

"As previous governments have found, this necessarily involves the agreement of the receiving country - which has not always been possible - but we are currently working across government to explore all possible options in this case."

The UK prime minister's spokesperson also acknowledged that while the government would "do everything in our power to remove" Ahmed, this remained "clearly a complex case with implications beyond this specific incident".

Britain's caution reflects previous experience. Pakistan has previously declined to receive two other Rochdale grooming gang members — Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan — even after both were stripped of their British citizenship in 2018.

Islamabad argued they were no longer Pakistani nationals after renouncing their citizenship, preventing their deportation.

Ahmed's case presents a similar challenge. Pakistan has likewise argued that Ahmed has effectively spent his entire adult life in Britain and should not automatically become Islamabad's responsibility simply because London wishes to deport him after decades.

What are Pakistan's reported demands?

According to The Telegraph, Pakistan has indicated that it is prepared to consider "out of the box" solutions and think "beyond normal procedures" regarding Ahmed's possible return, but only if Britain addresses issues Islamabad considers equally important.

A senior Pakistani government official, speaking anonymously, told The Telegraph, Britain must "respect the issues that matter" to Pakistan rather than attempting to pressure Islamabad.

The official suggested discussions surrounding Ahmed's possible deportation had already been taking place for nearly a year in anticipation of his release from prison.

"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 said.

"The UK knows what our demands are. We have made our demands and concerns categorically clear to the UK. Some people in the UK are only playing media games. They are not being honest."

Central to Islamabad's concerns are several political dissidents, former officials and activists living in Britain.

Pakistan reportedly wants Britain to act on extradition requests involving Shahzad Akbar, who served in former prime minister Imran Khan's cabinet, and Adil Raja, a journalist and former military officer.

Islamabad sought their extradition last December, accusing them of spreading "fake news" and anti-state propaganda.

Pakistan has also repeatedly sought the extradition of Altaf Hussain, the London-based founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who has lived in exile in Britain for roughly three decades.

The Pakistani official argued that London had consistently refused to act despite Islamabad repeatedly presenting evidence. "There are people using British soil to destabilise Pakistan, in violation of several British laws, but the UK has done absolutely nothing about them," said the official.

"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?"

How has Islamabad responded to negotiations?

The Pakistani official also criticised what he described as Britain's approach to the negotiations.

According to the official, British officials have privately and publicly suggested possible consequences — including visa restrictions and reductions in overseas aid — if Pakistan refuses to cooperate over Ahmed.

Although British ministers have not ruled out visa sanctions, reports indicate such measures are regarded within government as a "nuclear option" that would only be considered if diplomatic engagement ultimately fails.

"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.

"We have systems and laws, and the UK Government, as well as politicians, must respect our legal position and the issues that matter to us."

The official added that Pakistan had already accepted the return of "some convicted grooming gang offenders as a gesture of goodwill", but argued that London's expectations had steadily expanded.

Two convicted Rochdale offenders — Hamid Safi and Mohammed Sajid — were previously deported to Pakistan. However, Islamabad now says future cooperation cannot simply be taken for granted.

"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.

"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."

How have UK politicians reacted?

Ahmed's release has escalated the debate across Britain, with politicians from different parties demanding that convicted foreign offenders be removed from the country wherever legally possible.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, widely expected to replace Starmer as Labour leader later this month, has been among those calling for Ahmed's deportation.

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp has argued that Britain should adopt a tougher approach if Pakistan refuses to cooperate.

Speaking to GB News, Philp said, "If a British citizen commits a criminal offence somewhere else or is in another country illegally, of course, we take back our own citizens.

"So we expect other countries, like Pakistan, to do the same when the boot is on the other foot."

The British government, however, has so far continued to emphasise diplomacy over confrontation, recognising that any long-term solution requires Pakistan's consent.

What was the Rochdale grooming gang case?

Ahmed was among nine men convicted in one of Britain's most notorious child sexual exploitation cases.

The Rochdale grooming gang systematically targeted vulnerable girls, many of whom were as young as 12.

Police later estimated that as many as 50 girls may have been abused by members of the group, with many victims coming from troubled or disadvantaged backgrounds, including children living on council estates.

Passing sentence in 2012, Judge Gerald Clifton described how the girls had been treated "as though they were worthless and beyond any respect" because they did not belong to the offenders' community or religion.

Greater Manchester Police later stated that there had been no "racial or cultural" motive behind the offences. Subsequent investigations, however, revealed serious institutional failings.

An independent report concluded that police and local authorities had committed "serious multiple failures" despite repeated warnings about the abuse.

Opportunities to intervene were missed over several years, allowing vulnerable girls to continue being exploited before the gang was eventually brought to justice.

With inputs from agencies