Shehbaz Sharif’s party leader out on bail in UK grooming case wins PoK polls: Report

Former Pakistani state minister Rukhsar Ahmed, accused in the UK of child sexual abuse and trafficking allegations, has reportedly been elected to the PoK legislative Assembly while on police bail. The case has raised concerns over legal proceedings and diplomatic tensions

London: Former Pakistani state minister Rukhsar Ahmed, who was arrested in the United Kingdom in July 2024 on suspicion of raping vulnerable young girls in Manchester in the 1990s and trafficking children in care as part of a grooming gang, has been “re-elected” as a “lawmaker” from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), according to media reports.

He was elected last week after five years out of office, despite remaining on police bail in the UK following his arrest, British daily ‘The Guardian’ reported. Reports suggest that 62-year-old Ahmed was due to answer bail at a police station in Manchester last month, but failed to appear, citing that he was “too unwell to fly”.

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However, social media images showed him campaigning at various election gatherings in the Mirpur region of PoK. He was elected last week to the so-called PoK legislative Assembly as a lawmaker for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — the party of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

According to The Guardian, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) sought to impose bail conditions preventing Ahmed from travelling abroad, but a judge declined the request in July 2024. On July 18, 2024, Ahmed was arrested at Manchester Airport in connection with child sexual abuse allegations stemming from Manchester’s Rusholme area, where he resided for several years.

Ahmed was questioned by investigators in July 2024 following allegations by at least two women who claimed that he had raped and trafficked them when they were young girls. While he was in custody for questioning, investigators learned about Ahmed’s involvement in Pakistani politics.

The case stems from allegations by multiple women who accuse Ahmed of sexually abusing children in care homes during the early 1990s, when he was in his late twenties. He is expected to report to police on bail within the next six weeks. If he fails to do so, GMP may seek his arrest or initiate extradition proceedings, potentially sparking a diplomatic row, according to the report.

The revelation comes weeks after Pakistan turned down the UK government’s bid to deport a freed ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang.

Last month, political parties in the UK urged the Labour Party to stop all foreign aid to Pakistan and impose visa sanctions until Islamabad takes back the child rapist and ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang.

The UK government is trying to deport Shabir Ahmed to Pakistan, his country of birth, as he was released from prison recently after serving 14 years of his 22-year sentence for 30 child rape offences, leading British daily ‘The Telegraph’ reported. However, Pakistan refused to take Ahmed back.