On bail in UK child rape case, former Pak minister wins polls in POK

A former minister in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), who is on police bail in the UK over allegations of child rape and human trafficking linked to a Manchester-based grooming gang in the 1990s, has been elected to the Assembly of the illegally captured territory, according to London-based newspapers The Guardian and The Times. Rushkar Ahmed was earlier linked to a Pakistani grooming gang that operated in the UK in the 90s.

The 62-year-old Ahmed, who contested on a ticket from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, won the LA-4 Mirpur-IV seat in the first phase of the ongoing POK polls that took place on July 27. According to The Guardian report, Ahmed secured 54% of all votes polled in the seat, and returns to elected office for the first time in five years after losing the same seat in 2021.

Ahmed had previously served as a minister in multiple POK governments between 2006 and 2021. He has held multiple portfolios during this time period, including revenue, trade, industries, and animal husbandry, power development organisation.

Elections to the so-called legislative assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are being held in three phases between July 27 and August 10. The PML-N is currently leading, having secured 24 seats in the 53-member assembly.

India's Ministry of External Affairs has described the "so-called local elections" as a "complete farce", citing Islamabad's ongoing crackdown on protesters in POK, which has reportedly claimed at least 90 lives.

RUSHKAR AHMED WAS ARRESTED IN UK IN 2024, LATER RELEASED ON BAIL

According to the Guardian report, the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) arrested Ahmed at Manchester Airport on July 18, 2024, on suspicion of rape and child trafficking.

Detectives from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) questioned Ahmed over allegations made by at least two women who claim they were raped and trafficked by him while they were vulnerable girls living in care homes in Manchester's Rusholme area during the 1990s. Ahmed's arrest and questioning formed part of a broader GMP investigation into multiple allegations of historical child sexual abuse involving an alleged grooming gang to which he is linked.

GMP cops, however, failed to charge Ahmed and his allegations remain under investigation. He was later released on bail after questioning. According to The Times report, the GMP's broader investigation has led to 22 arrests so far.

AHMED FAILED TO ANSWER BAIL, WAS SEEN CAMPAIGNING IN POK

According to reports in The Guardian and The Times, Rushkar Ahmed was due to answer police bail at a Manchester police station in July, last month, but failed to attend, apparently informing authorities he was "too unwell to fly" to the UK.

At the same time, photographs and videos surfaced on social media showing Ahmed actively campaigning in election rallies ahead of the so-called elections in POK's Mirpur.

According to The Guardian, Ahmed is expected to answer bail again within the next six weeks. If he fails to do so, the Greater Manchester Police could seek an arrest warrant or commence extradition proceedings through Pakistan.

This comes even as Islamabad has repeatedly refused to take back Shabir Ahmed, the convicted rapist and ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, who the UK has been attempting to deport after his early release.

The Guardian also reported that detectives only became aware of Ahmed's political position in Pakistan while he was in custody following his 2024 arrest.

CHILD RAPE ACCUSED RUSHKAR AHMED INFLUENTIAL FIGURE IN MANCHESTER, OWNED RESTAURANT

Rushkar Ahmed has had longstanding links in the city of Manchester, where he lived for several years before entering politics in Pakistan. He previously owned the Gujjar Palace restaurant in Manchester's Curry Mile (a road in the city with a large concentration of curry houses and kebab takeaway shops), although that restaurant has reportedly been boarded up and left to rot.

Residents of Manchester and Ahmed's acquaintances told The Guardian that he was a particularly influential figure within the city's Kashmir-origin community. It also reported that Kashmir-origin Britons would travel from across the UK to meet Ahmed whenever he was in Manchester.

One associate described him to The Guardian as "a man of the people," while another called him "one of the least corrupt people." Others said he frequently visited restaurants in the Rusholme and Longsight areas and was respected for helping members of the community.

The Times reported Muhammad Shafique, a Labour councillor in Oldham (a town in the Greater Manchester area), as questioning how Ahmed had been able to contest and win an election while under police investigation in the UK.

"He is on bail in a child sexual exploitation case and he is winning an election. It is shocking," he told The Times, adding that, "It sends a terrible message to victims. How can somebody under investigation for such serious allegations be allowed to stand for public office?"

Green Party councillor in Manchester, Abdul Raoof Malik, however, stuck a different tune, telling The Times, that Ahmed should not be judged solely on his allegations until he was proved guilty in a court of law.

A senior PML-N leader in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir told The Guardian he had known Ahmed for about two decades but was unaware of the allegations against him, saying he had only heard that Ahmed had associations with groups in Manchester during the 1990s.

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