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Two key ringleaders of the notorious Rochdale grooming gang scandal, Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan, may soon be deported to Pakistan. Following intensive negotiations between British and Pakistani authorities, Pakistan is reportedly "nearing a decision" to accept the men, who were stripped of their British citizenship after their convictions.
The Rochdale gang case is one of the most high-profile instances where offenders have exploited legal loopholes to evade deportation. Rauf, 55, and Khan, 54, were both sentenced in 2012 as ringleaders of a nine-member gang responsible for the sexual assault of 47 underage girls in Rochdale over a two-year period. After being found guilty, a judge ordered their deportation to Pakistan. However, both men renounced their Pakistani citizenship just days before a court appeal, successfully arguing they would be left "stateless" if deported. This maneuver allowed them to remain in the UK for years, despite multiple rejected appeals.
A senior government official in Islamabad, involved in the ongoing talks, told The Telegraph that a resolution is anticipated "soon." The case is now with Pakistan's interior ministry, which is nearing a decision to accept the ringleaders before the matter is finalized by the foreign office. The British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, recently met with Pakistan's Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, where they are said to have discussed cooperation on various issues, including counter-terrorism and border security. A diplomat in London stated that the British government is under intense public pressure to deport the men, making a resolution likely in the near future.
The Home Office has affirmed its commitment to doing "everything in our power" to deport foreign nationals who commit such "heinous" crimes. The deportation of these men has been a complex matter, further complicated by a temporary ban on direct flights from Pakistan to the UK, which was recently lifted. Rauf has maintained ties to his home village in Azad Kashmir, where he is reportedly funding the construction of a house. Locals have confirmed his intention to live there if he is deported.
- The victims of the Rochdale grooming gang were targeted from 2005 to 2007. The gang's methods included plying the girls with alcohol and drugs before sexually assaulting them. The case became a symbol of a wider issue of child sexual exploitation and led to a national review of police handling of such cases.
- The scandal exposed significant institutional failures by both the police and social services in Rochdale. A 2013 independent report concluded that the police had shown a "lack of curiosity" and that local social services had a "failure of imagination" in dealing with the case.
- The case sparked outrage and a national debate on child protection, immigration laws, and the complexities of dual citizenship and deportation. The legal battle to deport the offenders has been ongoing for nearly a decade, highlighting the challenges the UK government faces when deporting foreign criminals who use legal maneuvers to avoid removal.
