Pakistan has rejected appeals from Labour to take back the Rochdale grooming gang ringleader.
Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s deputy Prime and Foreign Minister, told Ed Miliband there was no bilateral agreement between the two countries which would legally allow the transfer of child rapists such as Shabir Ahmed.
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Pakistan is considering the UK’s request to deport Ahmed back to his birth country after he was released from prison on July 2.
However, it is unlikely it will agree to the paedophile’s return unless the UK hands over Pakistani dissidents in a quid pro quo-style deal.
It is also doubtful whether the UK would agree to such terms.
During diplomatic discussions on the matter, Pakistani negotiators are understood to have said: “We currently do not have any legislation or formal mechanism under which we can take him back.”
Ahmed, 73, who moved to the UK in the late 1960s, was convicted in 2012 for 30 sexual offences, including child rape, with some incidents involving girls as young as 12-years-old.
His UK citizenship was revoked due to his crimes.
However, the 1971 Immigration Act currently forbids the removal of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in Britain before 1973.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said last month she would change the law to close the loophole which currently prevents Ahmed’s deportation, but this has failed to materialise.
Pakistan has dug its heels in, initially refusing to take the paedophile back on the basis he had forfeited his Pakistani citizenship and had grown up in the UK.
Tahir Andrabi, Pakistan’s foreign spokesman, said last month that the UK was responsible for Ahmed as he “grew up, was raised, groomed and, unfortunately, spoilt”.
He said the onus was “exclusively” on Britain.
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The Foreign Secretary is understood to have directly raised the issue with Mr Dar during talks in London, asking him if Pakistan was willing to take Ahmed back.
He is thought to have explained the importance of Ahmed’s removal from the UK and emphasised the concerns around a child rapist remaining in Britain, if there was a chance he could be removed back to his birthplace.
Accommodating Ahmed is costing the Ministry of Justice thousands of pounds.
He is electronically tagged, remains excluded from geographical zones in Oldham and Rochdale and continues to face round-the-clock supervision at a bail hostel.
While Pakistani officials acknowledged the UK Government’s predicament with the grooming gang orchestrator, Islamabad emphasised there is no existing agreement or legal lever in which he could be deported.
Sources close to the talks told the Telegraph that Pakistan insists it cooperated with the UK on matters of immigration, deportation and extraditing criminals.
However, a Pakistani source said: “Shabir Ahmed’s case is different because he is a convicted child rapist, on the sex offenders register, and there is no treaty between the UK and Pakistan to exchange or extradite sex convicts.”
Mr Miliband is understood to have pressed his Pakistani counterpart, asking if an agreement could be struck.
While Mr Dar agreed to consider the request, he asked in return for the UK to understand Pakistan’s perspective and Islamabad’s concerns.
An official statement was released following the meeting, but omitted the Ahmed issue.
It said the two countries “reviewed the full spectrum of Pakistan-United Kingdom bilateral relations and agreed to establish a structured mechanism for formal talks between the two foreign ministries to cover all areas of co-operation, to further strengthen bilateral co-operation and regularly review progress in key areas.”
Pakistan previously said it would withdraw its cooperation in taking back illegal migrants from Britain if the UK forced it to take back Ahmed.
Government sources said the UK was considering imposing sanctions on Pakistan, including visa bans and ceasing foreign aid payments, if it did not take back the paedophile.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are pursuing every available lawful option to deport this criminal, working with the government of Pakistan.
“We will not give a running commentary on discussions.”
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