The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has rejected Britain’s request to take back Shabir Ahmed, the Pakistan-born ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, and has blamed Ahmed’s crimes on him being raised in Britain.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has blamed the United Kingdom for the crimes of Pakistan-born Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed. This follows Pakistan’s refusal to accept the 73-year-old Rochdale grooming gang leader, despite Britain’s efforts to deport him. 📺 DETAIL: Pakistan has claimed that Ahmed’s crimes were the result of his being raised in Britain. “Regardless of where he was born, the onus lies on where he grew up, was raised, groomed, and unfortunately spoiled,” said Tahir Andrabi, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesman. The official further insisted that Pakistan had “no connection whatsoever with this matter.” Ahmed was born in Pakistan and raised in Britain by Pakistani parents. Ahmed was released from prison after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for 30 offenses. Ahmed’s crimes span rape, aiding and abetting rape, and trafficking for sexual exploitation. Some of his victims were as young as 12. Ahmed was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction in 2012, but cannot be deported due to the Immigration Act of 1971. The Act prevents the deportation of immigrants from Commonwealth countries, such as Pakistan, who entered the country prior to 1973 and have lived in Britain for more than five years, although constitutionally there is nothing stopping Parliament from passing a bill amending this law retrospectively if its members want to. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “The individual concerned is a British national who spent his entire adult life in the UK and was duly convicted by a British court for reprehensible offences committed on British soil.” – Tahir Andrabi 🎯 IMPACT: The refusal to take back Ahmed has strained British-Pakistani relations, with Britain threatening visa restrictions if Pakistan does not comply. The comments from Pakistan’s foreign office are likely to spark anger from the British public, which has been pushing the government to suspend all foreign aid to and immigration from Pakistan over its refusal to take back its pedophile. Andrabi’s remarks are likely to strengthen the resolve of those politicians seeking an amendment to the Immigration Act of 1971 to enable Ahmed’s deportation. 📺 FLASHBACK: In early July, it was reported that Ahmed had been released from prison. Ahmed was the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, one of several gangs making up the broader grooming scandal in the United Kingdom. The scandal involves decades of mostly Muslim, South Asian men targeting white working-class girls for sexual abuse. |
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