Pakistan resists UK attempts to deport grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed

Ahmed, who came to England in the late 1960s, was one of nine men convicted of abusing 13-year-old girls at two takeaways from Rochdale and Oldham.

Andrabi said Ahmed’s “heinous crimes require serious introspection rather than a search for extraneous reasons.”

“The issue in question is entirely an internal matter of England.

“The person concerned is a British national who has spent his entire adult life in the United Kingdom and has been duly convicted by a British court for heinous crimes committed on British soil.

“Any decision regarding his release and control of his ordinary legal status falls solely within the jurisdiction of the competent British authorities and must be dealt with in accordance with UK law.

“Regardless of where he was born, the responsibility lies where he was raised, nurtured, cared for and unfortunately pampered.”

He added: “The Pakistani government has no connection with this matter.

“We cannot be associated with any decision regarding the individual’s release or subsequent treatment under British law.”

Ahmed was sentenced to 22 years in prison and was released on license this month.

The gang’s victims were told that provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 prohibited the deportation of any Commonwealth citizen who arrived in the UK before 1973 and had been in the country for five years.

Under the UK government’s proposed change, foreign criminals will no longer benefit from these protections if they are guilty of certain serious offences.

This would bring the deportation law into line with the denaturalization law.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said this week that the 1971 Act provides protection for long-term residents of the UK but “should not be used as a bar to deportation in cases such as Shabir Ahmed’s”.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs acknowledged that Ahmed’s dismissal was dependent on Pakistan’s acceptance of him.

After being released from prison, Ahmed was sent to 24-hour staff accommodation and fitted with a tag that was electronically monitored via GPS.

During his time in the UK, the government said he would be sent back to prison if he breached a number of strict license conditions.

Some of his victims said they were “scared” and felt “unsafe” when they were released.

Andy Burnham, who will replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, described Ahmed as a “despicable criminal” who he wants deported.