Pakistan Threatens UK Over ‘Daddy’ Issues

Pakistan has warned the United Kingdom that it may cease accepting illegal migrants deported from the UK if Britain insists on returning Shabir Ahmed, a convicted sex offender and grooming gang leader known as "Daddy." A senior Pakistani government official revealed to The Telegraph that Pakistan has cooperated extensively with the UK, returning nearly 1,500 rejected asylum seekers, overstayers, and immigration offenders over the past year.

The official cautioned that Britain's persistent demand for Ahmed's return could strain this cooperation, as well as enhance collaboration on intelligence, security, and organized crime.

Ahmed, who is 73 years old, was recently released after serving a 22-year sentence for 30 child rape offenses. He was stripped of his British citizenship but continues to reside in the UK. Pakistan has refused to accept him, citing that he renounced his Pakistani citizenship, has lived in the UK for the majority of his life, and committed his crimes within its borders.

The Pakistani official stated that Britain's pressure on this matter seems to be politically motivated domestically and warned that "cooperation cannot be one-way traffic."

Pakistani authorities have highlighted that returns of Pakistani nationals increased by 24% from 1,158 to 1,437 in 2025-26, while returns of failed asylum seekers rose by 74% to 486, and other returns, including foreign offenders and visa overstayers, increased to 951. The dispute has emerged following UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's announcement of plans to amend immigration laws to close a loophole preventing Ahmed's deportation.

Pakistani officials have urged Britain to handle Ahmed's case within its jurisdiction, arguing that he spent most of his life in the UK and committed his offenses there.