International Desk: A former Pakistani state minister arrested in the United Kingdom over allegations of child sexual abuse and trafficking dating back to the 1990s has returned to politics, winning a seat in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly while on police bail.
According to The Guardian, 62-year-old Rukhsar Ahmed was arrested at Manchester Airport in July 2024 over allegations that he sexually abused and trafficked underage girls from a children’s care home in the Rusholme area of Manchester during the 1990s.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) questioned Ahmed following the allegations and released him on police bail while the investigation continues. Last month, he was required to report to a Manchester police station as part of his bail conditions but failed to appear. His representatives claimed he was too ill to travel by air.
However, photographs shared on social media during the same period showed Ahmed campaigning in Mirpur, Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir, ahead of the regional elections.
Ahmed, a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was subsequently elected as a member of the AJK Legislative Assembly. He previously served as a state minister in the AJK government during multiple terms between 2006 and 2021.
The Guardian, citing police sources, reported that Greater Manchester Police sought stricter bail conditions in 2024, including restrictions on overseas travel. However, a court did not approve the proposed measures.
Investigators say Ahmed lived for many years in Manchester’s Rusholme district, where he was well known in the local business community. He previously owned the now-closed Gujjar Palace restaurant, located near the city’s famous Curry Mile.
Police questioned Ahmed after receiving allegations from at least two women, who claim they were raped and trafficked by him while they were minors. The alleged offences date back to the early 1990s, when Ahmed was in his twenties.
Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing, and Ahmed may be required to report to police again in the coming weeks. If he fails to appear, Greater Manchester Police could seek an arrest warrant and potentially initiate extradition proceedings to bring him back to the UK, a move that could create diplomatic complications between the two countries.
A senior PML-N leader in Azad Kashmir said he had known Ahmed for more than two decades but was unaware of the serious allegations against him.
“We had only heard that he was associated with certain groups in Manchester during the 1990s, but I personally had no knowledge of allegations of this severity,” the party official said.
Ahmed did not respond to requests for comment.
The case has emerged amid ongoing tensions between the UK and Pakistan over the deportation of convicted offenders. It also comes shortly after Shabir Ahmed, a former leader of the Rochdale grooming gang who was convicted of sexually abusing 30 children and sentenced to 22 years in prison, was released in July this year after serving 14 years.
According to The Guardian, Ahmed remains an influential figure within Manchester’s Pakistani community because of his political connections, with several associates describing him as “highly influential.”
His former Gujjar Palace restaurant in Manchester is now abandoned and closed. Local business owners say it has effectively ceased operations since 2009. Company records list Ahmed as the sole director, and the business recently faced the risk of being dissolved after failing to file its annual accounts.
Source: The Guardian
