UK Leaders Demand Visa Curbs on Pakistan Over Deportation Row
British opposition politicians have called for visa restrictions and foreign aid cuts on Pakistan after Islamabad declined to accept the deportation of convicted child rapist Shabir Ahmed.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice demanded immediate action, writing on X: “Pakistan. No foreign aid. No visas. Until you take back rapist Ahmed.” Party leader Nigel Farage said a Reform government would suspend all visas for Pakistani nationals — “no visit, study, work, or family visas” — until Pakistan agrees to take Ahmed back. He noted the UK grants around 175,000 visas to Pakistani nationals each year.
Reform’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf criticised the Labour government’s decision to continue financial assistance to Pakistan. Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel also questioned maintaining aid while the deportation remains unresolved.
The case behind the row
Ahmed, born in Pakistan, was recently released from prison after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for 30 child rape offences linked to the Rochdale grooming gang. The UK government wants to deport him to Pakistan, but Pakistani authorities have so far declined to accept his return, The Telegraph reported.
The row has intensified with confirmation that the UK government approved a three-year £153 million foreign aid package for Pakistan.
Pakistan’s position, as reported by The Telegraph, is that Ahmed is no longer its national: although born in Pakistan, he left at around age 13, spent more than 60 years in Britain and renounced his Pakistani citizenship. “He is not one of our nationals,” a Pakistani minister said. Islamabad has also asked London to extradite political dissidents — including former Imran Khan aide Shahzad Akbar, journalist Adil Raja and MQM founder Altaf Hussain — accusing Britain of double standards.
Deportation faces legal hurdles. Under Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971, Commonwealth citizens who moved to the UK before 1973 and lived there for at least five years are protected from deportation — and Ahmed arrived in the late 1960s. Farage has demanded the provision be repealed for foreign offenders.
Government sources describe visa sanctions as a last-resort option that would have to be led by the Foreign Office, not the Home Office. One insider warned that Pakistan would “hold all the cards” in negotiations.
Related:
- US Considers Visa Ban on Pakistan, Leaked Memo Reveals
- UAE Visa Ban on Pakistan: What’s True
- Farage Threatens Visa Ban on Pakistan Over Shabir Ahmed
Frequently asked questions
Who is Shabir Ahmed?
A Pakistan-born man convicted of 30 child rape offences linked to the Rochdale grooming gang, recently released after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence.
What are UK politicians demanding?
Reform UK wants all visas and foreign aid to Pakistan suspended until Islamabad takes Ahmed back; the Conservatives are questioning the £153m aid package.
Why can’t the UK deport him easily?
Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 protects Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973 and lived in the UK for five-plus years. Ahmed arrived in the late 1960s.
How many UK visas go to Pakistanis each year?
Around 175,000, according to Farage — including visit, study, work and family visas.
