Pakistan Willing To Take Back Child Rapist 'Daddy' From UK, But Also Wants Munir Critics Deported

Islamabad has demanded the extradition of political dissidents and critics of Pakistan's defence chief, Asim Munir, from the United Kingdom if London wants to secure the deportation of the ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang -- a Pakistani national -- who targeted girls as young as 12.

The UK Telegraph and The Drop Site reported that the Pakistani government formally proposed a controversial exchange after London started looking into deportation options for Shabir Ahmed, 73, after he was released from prison recently after serving part of his sentence. Known as 'Daddy' by his victims, Ahmed had dual British and Pakistani citizenship before he was jailed for 22 years in August 2012 for 30 child sexual offences, including rape. But he lost his British citizenship after he was convicted.

Ahmed cannot be returned to Pakistan, despite being stripped of his UK citizenship, because Britain's Immigration Act 1971 exempts Commonwealth citizens who came to Britain before 1973 and have lived in the country for at least five years.

Pakistan's Controversial Proposal

The Telegraph reported a senior Pakistani government official saying that Britain needs to "respect the issues that matter" to Pakistan rather than resort to "arm-twisting" and threats to return the child rapist to Pakistan. Earlier, Islamabad has refused to take back Ahmed and two other ringleaders of the Rochdale grooming gang because they claim they were not Pakistani, having renounced their citizenship.

However, the Pakistani official told the UK newspaper Islamabad was prepared to think "out of the box" and "beyond normal procedures" on what it might agree to pave the way for a possible return of Ahmed to Pakistan.

Pakistan's Demand

Islamabad has, in exchange, reportedly raised concerns with Britain about several dissidents and political activists living in the UK. Among them are two critics of Pakistan's political and military dispensation -- Shahzad Akbar and Adil Raja-- who are subject to formal extradition requests by Islamabad.

Pakistan has sought the extradition of Akbar, a member of former prime minister Imran Khan's cabinet, and Raja, a Pakistani journalist and ex-military officer, last December over allegations of spreading "fake news" and anti-state propaganda.

Islamabad has also repeatedly asked the UK to hand over Altaf Hussain, the London-based founder of the Muttahida Qaumi opposition movement, who has been living in exile in the UK for three decades.

"There are people using British soil to destabilise Pakistan, in violation of several British laws, but the UK has done absolutely nothing about them," the Pakistani official told The Telegraph. 

"The UK tells us these miscreants are law-abiding and following UK law. They tell us they have to protect their human rights and free speech. We have shared evidence that they incite hatred, violence and social unrest, but the UK does not listen to us. Why double standards?"

Inside UK-Pak Negotiations

According to the reports, the British and Pakistani governments have been negotiating the deportation of the grooming gang leaders, including Ahmed, for nearly a year in anticipation of his release.

"Our position is that they [the UK] must listen to us too. Both sides need to apply standards. Pakistan cannot be railroaded into agreeing to terms and conditions that are suitable only to the UK," the official said.

"The UK knows what our demands are. We have made our demands and concerns categorically clear to the UK. Some people in the UK are only playing media games. They are not being honest," they added. 

UK's Threat

The Pakistani official has alleged that the British government has issued threats in "private and in public" to impose visa restrictions on Pakistan and cut overseas aid for the South Asian nation if Islamabad resists the return of Ahmed.

"These demands are being made about somebody who is now around 75 and who has spent more than 60 years in your country. How is he our national when he is actually not our national? This is arrogance and a colonial mindset. It is unacceptable to us," the official said.

They added, "We have systems and laws, and the UK government, as well as politicians, must respect our legal position and the issues that matter to us."

UK's Growing Demands

According to the report, Islamabad had previously agreed to accept the return of "some convicted grooming gang offenders as a gesture of goodwill," but Pakistani officials claim that London's demands had grown since then. 

Two convicted Rochdale groomers, Hamid Safi and Mohammed Sajid, have already been deported to Pakistan.

"It is a different Pakistan you are dealing with. Arrogance is not acceptable to us. We do not believe in arm-twisting, and the policy of arm-twisting is not going to yield any results. The Pakistan you are dealing with now is not the Pakistan you dealt with a few years ago. It is a very different kind of government, one that will not be blackmailed," the official said. 

The UK is Considering Law Amendment

Meanwhile, the UK government is considering repealing the sections in the Immigration Act 1971 that prevent Britain from returning people like Ahmed to Pakistan. Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, has said all options are on the table, including emergency legislation.

Mahmood is also considering visa sanctions, but it is seen as a "nuclear option" that would be applied only if other diplomatic measures failed.