Pakistan Blames UK for Spoiling Notorious Grooming Gang Leader ‘Daddy’

Pakistan has rejected calls to take back convicted child sex offender Shabir Ahmed, saying responsibility for the notorious Rochdale grooming gang leader lies with the United Kingdom, where he spent most of his life.

The statement comes as the UK government steps up efforts to deport Ahmed, also known as “Daddy”, following his release from prison earlier this month after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for multiple child rape offenses.

In a press statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Ahmed’s crimes were entirely a matter for British authorities.

“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 offenses committed on British soil,” Andrabi said.

He added that any decision regarding Ahmed’s release, supervision, or future legal status falls exclusively within the jurisdiction of the UK.

In one of the strongest remarks made by Pakistan on the issue, Andrabi said the responsibility rests with the country “where he grew up, was raised, groomed and, unfortunately, spoiled.”

He urged Britain to reflect on the underlying causes of the crimes instead of looking elsewhere.

“His heinous crimes demand serious introspection rather than a quest to search for extraneous causes,” he said.

Pakistan also stressed that it has “no connection whatsoever” with the case and cannot be associated with decisions regarding Ahmed’s treatment under British law.

The latest comments follow an announcement by UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who earlier this week unveiled plans to amend a decades-old immigration law that currently prevents Ahmed’s deportation, despite him having been stripped of his British citizenship.

Ahmed, now 73, was convicted for leading one of Britain’s most notorious child sexual exploitation gangs. A UK court found him guilty of raping girls as young as 12 over several years, with prosecutors describing one victim as having been treated like a “possession” for his own sexual gratification.

British officials maintain that Ahmed remains eligible for deportation to Pakistan and dispute claims that he legally renounced his Pakistani citizenship.

The issue has also sparked diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Earlier this week, the UK government signaled it could consider visa restrictions against Pakistan if it refuses to accept Ahmed’s return, with ministers saying all available options remain under consideration.

Despite the growing dispute, negotiations between London and Islamabad over Ahmed’s deportation are understood to have been ongoing for about a year, alongside discussions concerning two other convicted Rochdale grooming gang members facing similar deportation proceedings.