Pakistan Rejects UK Bid to Deport Convicted Offender Shabir Ahmed

Pakistan has refused to accept the deportation of Shabir Ahmed, a 73-year-old man convicted of 30 child rape offences in the UK. The Independent reported that Pakistan's foreign office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said his country had no connection to the matter and that Ahmed must be dealt with under British laws.

Ahmed, who was born in Pakistan and moved to Britain 60 years ago, was released from prison on licence two weeks ago after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood this week outlined new laws that could remove barriers to his deportation under the 1971 Immigration Act, and the UK government warned it would impose visa restrictions on Pakistan if it did not accept him. Andrabi told the BBC that Ahmed is a British national whose crimes were committed on British soil.

He stated that any decisions on release or supervision fall within UK jurisdiction.

A separate Pakistani government official told The Times that the country would not be bullied into taking Ahmed back. Ahmed has been moved from approved accommodation in Accrington, Lancashire, after its location was revealed on social media. He remains subject to licence conditions that bar him from his former address in Oldham and parts of Rochdale.

Sarah Smith, the Labour MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden, called for a wider exclusion zone covering Lancashire and the North West and urged his swift deportation. The UK has negotiated with Pakistan over Ahmed's deportation for a year. Pakistan claims Ahmed renounced his citizenship, a position the UK disputes, saying he may have torn up his passport without completing the formal process.