Pakistan proposes UK swap: convicted grooming gang members for exiled dissidents Shahzad Akbar and Adil Raja. Photos: X.
The Shehbaz Sharif government has reportedly offered to accept Pakistani-origin convicted sex offenders, famously known as ‘grooming gangs’ from Britain, in return for the extradition of two high-profile anti-government dissidents living in the UK.
According to a report, Pakistan has suggested a proposal to the United Kingdom that would allow the return of Pakistani-origin convicted grooming gang members, including Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan, in exchange for Britain extraditing two critics of Asim Munir and the Pakistan government. The dissidents are Shahzad Akbar, former special assistant to ex-PM Imran Khan, and Adil Raja, a former Pakistani army officer turned whistleblower, according to US-based independent outlet Drop Site News, citing sources.
Both Akbar and Raja have lived in exile in the UK since April 2022, openly criticizing the hybrid military-civilian government of COAS Asim Munir and PM Shehbaz Sharif.
Grooming gangs in the UK were predominantly networks of Pakistani men who targeted vulnerable, mostly white, minor girls. The victims were groomed, trafficked, and gang-raped, with many threatened into silence. Some cases shocked the world due to the extreme scale of abuse. One girl was reportedly assaulted by 30–40 men in a single night.
Notable cases include the Hussain brothers, who abused dozens of girls, Louise Lowe (name changed), raped by over 100 men, a 16-year-old girl from Telford who was murdered along with her family, and Ruby (name changed), assaulted by 30–40 men in one night.
The Rochdale grooming case, dating back to 2012, remains one of the UK’s most politically sensitive child exploitation scandals. Despite repeated attempts by British authorities to deport convicted offenders, Pakistan refused, arguing they had renounced Pakistani citizenship and posed integration challenges.
The Drop Site News report surfaced days after Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott on December 4 in Islamabad. Official briefings stated the discussions focused on “security cooperation,” tackling “fake news,” and repatriating undocumented Pakistanis.
While Dawn reported that both sides “discussed the return of Pakistanis illegally residing in the UK,” the media readouts did not mention grooming gang offenders specifically.
Sources cited by Drop Site News claim that Naqvi categorized the deportation of Rauf and Khan under the broader term of “Pakistanis illegally residing in the UK.” Naqvi also reportedly warned that Pakistan would not allow “slander and defamation against state institutions from those sitting abroad,” referencing Akbar and Raja.
If the proposal proceeds, Pakistan would issue travel documents for Rauf and Khan, who were stripped of UK citizenship in 2018 and rendered effectively stateless. Their deportation has stalled due to legal and nationality loopholes.
British PM Keir Starmer’s government has repeatedly pushed for the deportation of convicted grooming gang members, including Rauf and Khan. Since late 2024, Elon Musk amplified the grooming gang scandals on X, pledging to fund legal action against “corrupt officials.”
Under pressure, Starmer announced a statutory national inquiry in June 2025, though the investigation has stalled amid political controversies, including criticism that his Labour Party has failed to uphold women’s rights.
Currently, the UK and Pakistan lack a formal extradition treaty. However, Section 194 of the UK Extradition Act 2003 allows for ad hoc arrangements in exceptional cases.
Independent inquiries highlight the widespread impact of grooming gangs. A Telford inquiry estimated over 1,000 victims across 35 years, while a Rochdale investigation found that courts had sentenced around 40 men for sexual violence against 13 children between 2004 and 2013.
The report noted 96 men still posed potential risks to children, acknowledging this represented only a portion of those involved in abuse.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
Seven years after Toyah Cordingley was brutally murdered on a remote Queensland beach, former nurse…
Donald Trump sparked buzz at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honours after dodging a question about…
UIDAI has approved a new rule that will stop hotels and platforms like OYO from…
