Pakistani MP Rukhsar Ahmed avoids bail return, denies allegations
Rukhsar Ahmed, a newly re-elected MP in Pakistan's Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly, has declined to say when he will return to the UK to face bail conditions linked to allegations of historical child sexual abuse in Manchester. Ahmed, who was arrested at Manchester airport in July 2024 on suspicion of rape and trafficking of underage girls, remains on police bail in the UK.
The Guardian has learned that Ahmed, 62, had been expected to answer bail at a Manchester police station last month, but failed to attend, saying he was "too unwell to fly." At the same time, he was pictured on social media campaigning at election gatherings in Mirpur, northern Pakistan. He was elected last week as an MP for the party of Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the centre-right Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
According to a report in the Mail on Sunday, Ahmed was located in his office in Khari Sharif, a village in Mirpur district, and told a reporter he would fly back to Britain to meet his bail conditions, but declined to give a date. "Everything is with my legal team in Manchester and London, they told me I can't discuss this," he told the newspaper. "What they done, this media in the United Kingdom and Europe, is out of order. I have not been convicted of anything nor charged for anything, so what is going on? I don't want to discuss it, because if I discuss it, things may go wrong."
Asked whether he had raped two underage girls, Ahmed refused to answer, saying: "You are doing wrong now, I told you not to talk to me like this … please don't talk to me like this, I told you I have nothing to do with it, OK."
In a statement published on his Facebook account on Friday, Ahmed said: "I categorically deny all the allegations against me and will address these matters through the appropriate forums. On legal advice, I will not comment further while these matters remain ongoing."
The allegations relate to the late 1990s and involve at least two women who claim Ahmed was involved in raping and trafficking them when they were young girls in care homes in the Rusholme area of Manchester, where Ahmed lived for many years. Ahmed, who owns a former restaurant, the Gujjar Palace, near Manchester's curry mile, was arrested on 18 July 2024 at Manchester airport in relation to past child sexual abuse allegations linked to Rusholme.
The Guardian understands that Greater Manchester police (GMP) had wanted to restrict Ahmed's ability to travel abroad as part of his bail conditions, but a judge rejected tougher measures in July 2024. Ahmed, who has more than 17,000 followers on Facebook, was pictured with friends in Rusholme as recently as May, with associates saying he has visited regularly.
Richard Scorer, a lawyer who has represented victims of grooming gangs, said Rusholme has regularly featured in grooming gang investigations over the past 30 years. The ongoing investigation is part of wider efforts to address historical child sexual abuse in the area.
Ahmed was a minister in various state governments from 2006 until he lost his seat in 2021, and was re-elected last week after five years out of office. He did not respond to requests for comment when approached by the Guardian last week.