Rukhsar Ahmed, a former Pakistani minister of state arrested in Manchester in July 2024 on charges of rape and trafficking of minors in the 1990s, was re-elected to the Pakistani Parliament while out on bail. He now refuses to specify a return date to the UK to face the charges against him.
Arrested at Manchester airport in July 2024, Rukhsar Ahmed was suspected of raping and trafficking at least two girls placed in care in the Rusholme area in the 1990s. Released on bail, he has since been re-elected as a Member of Parliament in Pakistan, where he previously served as a former Minister of State.
According to information revealed by The Guardian, the politician is now refusing to disclose any date for his return to the United Kingdom, where he faces rape charges. This stance puts British authorities in a difficult position, as there is no immediately applicable binding extradition mechanism.
The case is part of the broader context of investigations into collective pimping networks, known as "grooming gangs", which operated in several British cities during the 1990s and 2000s. The alleged victims were vulnerable teenage girls, often from child welfare facilities.
Ahmed's re-election to the Pakistani Parliament, which occurred while he was on provisional release granted by the British justice system, has sparked reactions in the United Kingdom, where elected officials and victims' associations are demanding guarantees on the continuation of the legal proceedings.
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