Farage Threatens Visa Ban on Pakistan Over Shabir Ahmed Deportation Row
LONDON: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has threatened visa bans, flight restrictions and asset freezes against Pakistani nationals if Islamabad refuses to accept the deportation of convicted Rochdale grooming-gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed.
In a post on X on October 13, Farage said he would use the measures to pressure Pakistan into taking Ahmed back. “If they want a fight, I’ll give them one,” he wrote.
“If Pakistan still refuses to take back Shabir Ahmed, I will not hesitate to impose flight bans, visa bans and even freeze their nationals’ assets,” Farage added in the post, as reported by ProPakistani.
Farage’s threat and the wider Reform immigration plan
The warning sits inside a far-reaching immigration crackdown Farage unveiled on October 12 alongside Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf. The plan includes suspending Britain’s asylum system for five years, deporting around 90,000 people with pending claims, and using tariffs and airline bans against countries that refuse to take deportees back.
Reform had already proposed banning British visas for Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan if they refuse deportation flights to land. The new plan goes further, adding tariffs on goods and bans on foreign airlines using British airspace.
These are opposition proposals, not government policy. Farage leads Reform UK, which is not in power, and the current British government has announced no such measures against Pakistan.
Who is Shabir Ahmed, and why the row will not die down
Shabir Ahmed, 73, was the ringleader of the Rochdale child grooming gang. Convicted in 2012 of multiple child sexual offences including rape, he was jailed for 22 years and released on licence in July 2026 after serving 14 years. His victims knew him as “Daddy”.
After his conviction, Britain stripped Ahmed of his citizenship. But deportation stalled on two fronts. Pakistan disputes his nationality and maintains the case is Britain’s responsibility, with its Foreign Office saying Ahmed spent most of his adult life in the UK. British officials counter that he never formally renounced Pakistani citizenship through the legal process the law requires.
A separate barrier sits in Britain’s own statute book. Protections under the Immigration Act 1971 block the deportation of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973. In July 2026, the British government said it would amend the law to close that loophole. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood confirmed at the time that Ahmed’s removal still depended on Pakistan agreeing to take him.
Despite his release, Ahmed remains under strict supervision, including a GPS monitoring tag and round-the-clock staffed accommodation.
What visa and flight bans would mean for Pakistan
For ordinary Pakistanis, the threat carries real stakes. The Times has reported that Pakistan would be among the countries most affected by airline bans: Pakistan International Airlines would be unable to fly directly to Britain, and British-Pakistani families would have to switch to Gulf carriers with stopovers.
Visa bans would hit legal travellers first: students, business visitors and families. That matters for a country whose students form a large share of Britain’s international intake, with UK universities continuing to court Pakistani applicants. It would also chill the long-term UK-Pakistan investment relationship both governments have been building.
The row also lands as Pakistan pushes for safe, legal migration pathways with the European Union, making deportation cooperation a wider diplomatic test for Islamabad.
Who is Shabir Ahmed?
Shabir Ahmed, 73, led the Rochdale grooming gang and was jailed in 2012 for 22 years over multiple child sexual offences. Released on licence in July 2026 after 14 years, he was stripped of British citizenship but remains in the UK under strict supervision while the deportation row continues.
Why can Britain not deport him?
Two obstacles stand in the way. Pakistan disputes his nationality and refuses to accept him, saying he is Britain’s responsibility. Separately, a loophole in the Immigration Act 1971 protects Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973; London said in July 2026 it would legislate to close it.
Are Farage’s visa bans actual UK policy?
No. They are proposals from Reform UK, an opposition party. Farage says a future Reform government would impose them, but the current British government has announced no visa or flight bans on Pakistan.
