LONDON: The UK authorities minister face a backlash from British-Pakistanis over threats to sanction Pakistan if it refuses to take again the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, based on an investigation printed within the Each day Telegraph.
Senior figures within the Pakistani neighborhood within the UK are divided over whether or not Shabir Ahmed, 73, a baby rapist, must be deported to Pakistan however warned that any visa sanctions or support cuts would immediate a backlash that might harm relations between the 2 international locations and that Shabana Mahmood can pay a political worth for her marketing campaign.
Political opponents within the Pakistani neighborhood within the Midlands constituency of Mahmood, the Dwelling Secretary, have additionally instructed they’ll search to use the row on the subsequent election.
Akhmed Yakoob, a Birmingham solicitor who stood in opposition to Mahmood within the final election and got here near profitable the race, slashing Labour’s almost 15000-strong majority to only round 2000, mentioned he would “make it a problem” on the doorsteps if he was to face once more and accused her of “appeasing the far-right” by in search of to deport Ahmed.
“If she is attempting to counsel that Pakistan ought to settle for anybody, together with convicted rapists and grooming gang offenders, that’s unacceptable. Britain should take accountability for people who find themselves British residents and who’ve spent their lives right here,” mentioned Yakoob, who stood as an impartial and got here second within the 2024 election, gorgeous the political pundits. He gained over 12,000 votes in opposition to Shabana, who acquired round 15,000.
“Shabir is a harmful, soiled legal who introduced disgrace to the communities he lived in. He deserves the worst type of punishment, however what Shabana is doing is just not honest; it is soiled politics.”
The federal government is in search of to deport Ahmed following his launch from jail earlier this month, after he served 14 years of a 22-year sentence for 30 little one rape offences.
Mahmood has introduced plans to amend the Immigration Act 1971 to take away a loophole that stops Ahmed from being deported to Pakistan regardless of the revocation of his UK citizenship.
Nonetheless, Pakistan is refusing to take him again as a result of it claims he has renounced his Pakistani citizenship and has lived within the UK for almost six many years.
Lord Shaffaq Mohammed mentioned he believed Pakistan ought to take again Ahmed.
“If Pakistan doesn’t, there’s a actual threat that the UK authorities will come underneath strain to take measures that would harm the robust financial and diplomatic ties between our two long-standing pleasant nations,” he mentioned.
“It may finally have an effect on growth help that helps a few of the world’s poorest and most susceptible individuals. This one man has already inflicted horrible hurt on harmless younger individuals. We should always not permit his actions to trigger additional hurt by making a wider diplomatic breakdown. Each governments should discover a sensible and constructive option to resolve this concern.”
Nonetheless, Ayesha Ijaz Khan, a lawyer and London-based political commentator, mentioned Pakistan was “properly inside its rights” to refuse to take again Ahmed, who had lived within the UK for 60 years and renounced his citizenship.
“Britain can’t anticipate to dump its personal authorized and practical shortcomings onto different international locations, and threatening Pakistan with visa restrictions and monetary penalties on that is most unbecoming,” she mentioned.
“That will have solely made sense if Pakistan have been advocating for Ahmed, however at no level has Pakistan carried out that and has repeatedly mentioned that Britain is correct to prosecute him.”
Taimoor Iqbal, a London-based Pakistani guide, added there was a hazard that the deportation of Ahmed may set a precedent for future governments to increase their powers of removing.
“I might argue that such a precedent could possibly be expanded by any right-wing administration to justify broader deportation insurance policies, probably focusing on susceptible communities in ways in which disproportionately have an effect on minorities,” he mentioned.
“As soon as the brink for deportation is lowered, it turns into simpler for future policymakers to increase these powers, elevating considerations about civil liberties, equal therapy underneath the regulation and the long-term safety of minority rights.”
