Pakistan MP Rukhsar Ahmed, on UK Bail Over 1990s Child Rape Allegations, Refuses to Commit to Return Date

A former Pakistan state minister arrested at Manchester airport in July 2024 on suspicion of raping and trafficking at least two underage girls from care homes in Rusholme during the 1990s has told a reporter he will fly back to Britain to meet his bail conditions but declined to give a date, according to the Mail on Sunday The Guardian.

Rukhsar Ahmed, 55, was arrested on 18 July 2024 in connection with child sexual abuse allegations linked to the Rusholme area of Manchester, where he had lived for many years. Greater Manchester police had sought to restrict his ability to travel abroad as part of his bail conditions, but a judge rejected the tougher measures at the time of his arrest. Ahmed was released on bail and flew to Pakistan. Days after arriving, he was elected an MP for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's centre-right Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, winning a seat in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly The Guardian; Asia News Network.

The ongoing Greater Manchester police investigation relates to allegations from several women about sexual abuse of children at care homes in the early 1990s, when Ahmed was in his late 20s. Ahmed was a minister in various state governments from 2006 until he lost his seat in 2021. He is also the owner of a former restaurant, the Gujjar Palace, near Manchester's curry mile The Guardian.

Reporters located Ahmed in his office in Khari Sharif, a village in Mirpur district, Pakistan. When asked directly whether he had raped two underage girls, Ahmed refused to answer. On Friday, he published a statement on his Facebook account categorically denying all allegations and saying he would address them through appropriate forums on legal advice The Guardian.

Ahmed had told police officers he was too unwell to fly back to the UK and missed an appointment at a police station. He was expected to answer police bail within the next six weeks. If he does not attend, Greater Manchester police could issue a warrant for his arrest or take steps to extradite him The Guardian.

Richard Scorer, head of abuse law at Slater and Gordon, noted that Rusholme has regularly featured in grooming gang investigations over the past 30 years and said he hoped a comprehensive investigation was taking place in this case The Guardian. The Times and Sunday Times had earlier reported that Ahmed, described as a Manchester restaurateur, was elected to a ruling assembly in Pakistan while on bail in the UK as part of an investigation into child abuse and trafficking The Times and Sunday Times. The Guardian first reported the case on 5 August 2026, with journalist Rajeev Syal as author The Guardian.

The case sits at the intersection of several recurrent tensions in UK-Pakistan legal cooperation. The UK has no formal extradition treaty with Pakistan, though the two countries have operated on a reciprocal arrangement under the Commonwealth Scheme for the Rendition of Fugitive Offenders. That mechanism is slower and less predictable than bilateral extradition treaties, and its use in cases involving sitting legislators introduces political sensitivities on both sides. Ahmed's status as a PML-N elected member of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly further complicates matters, as any extradition request would require Pakistani cooperation at a time when the Sharif government faces its own political pressures.

The bail decision also raises questions about judicial risk assessment in cases involving suspects with substantial overseas connections. Greater Manchester police's bid to impose travel restrictions was rejected by a judge, after which Ahmed departed for Pakistan, was elected to parliament, and has since declined to specify a return date. The sequence is likely to inform future prosecutorial arguments in similar cases where suspects hold dual residency or political office abroad.

For the complainants, several women now coming forward decades after the alleged abuse, the delay carries a distinct cost. Historical child sexual abuse prosecutions already face evidentiary challenges around witness memory, documentary records, and the availability of co-accused. An absent defendant on foreign soil, regardless of his denials, extends an already long timeline toward any potential trial.