A former Pakistani state minister, Rukhsar Ahmed, has been arrested on suspicion of raping vulnerable young girls in Manchester during the 1990s. Mr Ahmed, who was re-elected as an MP in Pakistan last week, is currently on police bail in the UK.
He was arrested in July 2024 on suspicion of rape and trafficking children in care as part of a grooming gang. Mr Ahmed, 62, was expected to answer bail at a Manchester police station last month but reportedly did not attend, citing illness. During this period, he was pictured campaigning at election gatherings in Mirpur, northern Pakistan.
Mr Ahmed was elected as an MP in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly for the party of Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) had reportedly sought to restrict his ability to travel abroad as part of his bail conditions, but a judge rejected tougher measures in July 2024.
Detectives questioned Mr Ahmed in July 2024 regarding allegations from at least two women who claimed he was involved in raping and trafficking them as young girls. The ongoing investigation relates to allegations from several women concerning the sexual abuse of children at care homes in the early 1990s.
Mr Ahmed is understood to be expected to answer police bail within the next six weeks. If he does not attend, GMP may issue an arrest warrant or take steps towards extradition.