London, August 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Pakistan state minister Rukhsar Ahmed, who was arrested in the United Kingdom in connection with allegations of rape and child trafficking linked to a suspected grooming gang case, has reportedly been elected to the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) legislative assembly while still remaining on police bail in the UK.
According to a report by British daily The Guardian, Ahmed was elected last week as a lawmaker from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the party led by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The election marked his return to office after a gap of five years.
Ahmed, 62, was arrested at Manchester Airport on July 18, 2024, over allegations related to the sexual abuse and trafficking of vulnerable young girls in Manchester during the 1990s. He was later released on police bail.
Reports said Ahmed was due to attend a police station in Manchester last month to answer bail conditions but failed to appear, claiming that he was “too unwell to fly”.
However, images circulated on social media showed him attending election campaign events in the Mirpur region of PoK.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) had reportedly sought restrictions preventing Ahmed from leaving the UK, but a judge rejected the request in July 2024, according to the report.
The allegations against Ahmed emerged after at least two women claimed that he had raped and trafficked them when they were children. Investigators later said the case involved allegations of sexual abuse of children in care homes during the early 1990s, when Ahmed was in his late twenties.
Police are expecting Ahmed to report back under bail conditions within the next six weeks. If he fails to do so, GMP could seek his arrest or consider extradition proceedings, a move that could potentially lead to diplomatic complications.
The development comes amid a wider controversy between the UK and Pakistan over the deportation of convicted grooming gang members.
Last month, political parties in Britain urged the government to suspend foreign aid to Pakistan and impose visa restrictions until Islamabad accepts the return of Shabir Ahmed, a convicted ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang.
The UK government has been seeking to deport Shabir Ahmed to Pakistan after his release from prison following a 14-year sentence served out of a 22-year term for multiple child rape offences. Pakistan, however, has reportedly refused to accept his deportation.
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