The ringleaders of an infamous Rochdale grooming gang cannot be deported because Pakistan has relinquished their citizenship and will not take them back, it’s been claimed.
Politicians and members of the Pakistani government are believed to have been engaged in ‘high-level talks’ to allow Qari Abdul Rauf, 55, and Adil Khan, 54, to be deported.
The two, who are among the worst grooming offenders in Britain, were originally told they would be sent back to the country after being part of a gang convicted of a catalogue of serious sex offences against young girls in 2012.
Despite both being told they would be deported, and then losing appeals in 2018, the pair remain in the UK.
Although sources previously suggested progress was being made between the UK and Pakistan on the matter, it is reported that officials from the south Asian country have said it would be ‘extremely difficult’ to take the dangerous duo back.
They also told the Telegraph there was ‘no basis’ to accept the pair back into Pakistan as they had renounced their citizenship.
However, sources for the Interior Ministry have said ‘progress’ could be made if the UK were to take part in talks.
They also suggested that, while direct flights via its national airline PIA to the UK were suspended, deportation was ‘not feasible’.
UK officials said that PIA flights, which had been paused due to safety concerns, had not been raised in discussions, according to The Telegraph.
It comes after a damning review into the grooming gang scandal found councils, police forces, and the Home Office repeatedly ‘shied away’ from dealing ‘uncomfortable’ questions about the ethnicity of rapists preying on young girls.
The architect of the bombshell grooming gangs review, Baroness Casey, previously condemned ‘do-gooders’ who ignored ethnic factors for fear of being branded racist.
She vented fury at the failure to tackle the issues over a decade, saying she was ‘raging’ on behalf of the victims.
Speaking following the publication of her report, the Whitehall troubleshooter revealed she had found the word ‘Pakistani’ Tippexed out of a child sex abuse file.
Father-of-five Rauf and Khan were jailed in 2012 after heading the notorious Rochdale grooming gang which included nine Asian men, who sexually assaulted 47 girls. Some victims were as young as 12.
In 2018 the Home Office emerged victorious after a court of appeal ruled the duo as well as another member of the gang, Abdul Aziz, were to be deported after removing their British citizenship.
Rauf and Khan attempted to avoid deportation to their home country by relinquishing their citizenship.
Before the 2018 ruling, Aziz had ripped up his passport, so was allowed to stay in the UK as the Government could not make him stateless as per international law.
A person cannot relinquish their citizenship in the UK if they are not a citizen of another state – a loophole the grooming gang duo attempted to exploit by destroying their Pakistani passports.
Foreign secretary David Lammy has been at the helm of discussions with Pakistan on the matter, as both he and Home Office ministers are understood to be ‘working very hard’ to strike an agreement on Rauf and Khan’s deportation.
Faith minister Lord Khan who has strong connections to Pakistan is also understood to be involved in talks.
Several Pakistanis involved in grooming gangs have been deported including, Rotherham grooming gang member, Khurram Javed, 42, who was sentenced to two years behind bars; Nayyar Tazeem, 34, who was handed a five years prison sentence for grooming and seven sexual assaults; and Rochdale sex offender Kashif Mahmood, 37, who was jailed for two years and seven months.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Sexual violence of all types is a despicable crime, causing the most unimaginable harm to victims and survivors.
‘We recognise the immense bravery shown by them throughout their pursuit of justice, and protecting them remains central to our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
‘We have already taken action to ban foreign nationals who groom children or commit sexual offences from being granted asylum, and will do everything in our power to pursue deportation from the UK.
‘More than 800 cases involving grooming and child sexual exploitation allegations have also been identified for formal review, so that these vile criminals are off our streets and paying the price for crimes.’
The Department of Transport confirmed to the Telegraph that an application for Pakistan’s national airline to be taken off the UK safety list, so direct flights to the UK could happen, was still being considered.
