Pakistan is refusing to accept the return of Shabir Ahmed, the 73-year-old ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, blocking UK efforts to deport him following his release on licence in early July 2026 after 14 years in prison for multiple counts of child rape and sexual offences.
Ahmed, known to victims as 'Daddy', was moved from accommodation in Accrington after its location near a playground and mosque was exposed on social media. He remains subject to 24-hour staffed supervision and GPS tracking. Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi called the matter an internal UK affair.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced plans to amend the Immigration Act 1971, which currently protects long-resident Commonwealth citizens from removal. However, deportation cannot proceed without Pakistan's consent, and Ahmed, stripped of British citizenship, holds only Pakistani nationality. Hyndburn MP Sarah Smith has called for a wider exclusion zone around his residence.