Pakistani child rapists must be deported
The headlines could hardly be more effective if they were written on an election poster for Reform UK: 'Rochdale grooming gang cannot be deported after tearing up Pakistan passports'.
In the aftermath of Baroness Casey's review of the rape gang scandal, people are already angry. Too angry? Is there a moral ceiling through which citizens' anger at the systematic rape and abuse of vulnerable children should not rise? This is especially the case when the authorities have enabled such behaviour.
There are occasions when, despite all the politicians' warnings that anger gets us nowhere, it is right to be angry. It is good. It is the entirely justified reaction to such barbarism.
And when it is reported that some of the ringleaders of the Pakistani rape gangs remain in this country because their home nation has refused to accept them, that anger rightly intensifies.
Who could fail to be incensed by Pakistan's refusal to welcome home the likes of Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf, jailed in 2012 as ringleaders of a nine-strong gang of Pakistani men who sexually assaulted 47 girls – some as young as 12 – after plying them with drink and drugs over two years in Rochdale?
Having completed their jail sentences, they have cynically renounced their Pakistani citizenships in order to frustrate the courts' decision to deport them. And so talks are underway with Pakistan which, understandably enough, is resistant to killing the fatted calf to welcome back these particular prodigal sons. And who can blame them?
Nevertheless, they were originally Pakistani citizens and to Pakistan they must be returned, rather than remain in the same community where their traumatised victims could easily encounter them on a daily basis. Despite Pakistan's reluctance to accept them back, talks between the two governments are continuing and there may yet be a prospect, if Britain offers enough incentives, of our getting rid of Khan and Rauf.
This is a vital point of international law and precedent: we cannot allow the practice to stand whereby a person with dual citizenship can force the authorities to allow him to remain in the UK, just because he has renounced citizenship of the country of his birth or destroyed his original passport. Any country has the right to remove from its soil foreign criminals who put their own citizens at risk.
Unfortunately for Britain, for the men's victims and for the Government, the man leading the negotiations on the UK side is our Foreign Secretary, David Lammy. Lammy has form on the issue of deporting foreign criminals. Unfortunately, his record is as someone who previously opposed such deportations.
In February 2020, Lammy and the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, (plus a handful of current serving cabinet and other ministers) signed a letter opposing the removal to Jamaica of 50 convicted criminals, including murderers, rapists and drug dealers. Nearly half of those initially targeted were allowed to remain in the UK. And now the Foreign Secretary is leading talks to deport Khan and Rauf.
Perhaps Lammy has thought better of his flirtation with his virtue-signalling political activities of the past and is prepared to take seriously the responsibility of removing these two rapists from British soil. We must hope so.
One of the reported, unofficial requests that might grease the wheels of the negotiations would be UK Government approval for the re-establishment of direct flights between the two countries by Pakistan's national airline, PIA, which were suspended because of safety concerns. But maybe Lammy needs to play hardball.
The UK already sends more than £100 million in aid to Pakistan every year and is the third largest source of foreign direct investment. It would be a crying shame if something were to happen to that nice little earner.
It is nothing short of outrageous that Pakistan even hesitates to allow criminals like Khan and Rauf – and there are plenty of others who would follow in their wake – to be removed back to their homeland. If Pakistan wishes to continue to enjoy the largesse of Britain's taxpayers, it needs to understand the justified anger that decent UK citizens feel towards these rapist thugs. Of course, it is natural that the Pakistani government would prefer not to have to facilitate their return. But life is tough.
If the talks fail, and Pakistan reveals that it is no true friend of the UK, then our foreign policy must reflect that reality. At the same time, the political consequences of those failed talks need hardly be imagined. The use of those Reform posters featuring the sinister faces of child rapists Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf would not only be inevitable – they would be entirely justified.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
10 minutes ago
- BBC News
Dudley man jailed for killing Wigan lorry driver in M6 crash
A man has been jailed after he admitted killing a lorry driver in a crash on the M6 in Tamou, from Wigan, got out of his HGV after it broke down between junctions 15 and 16, near Stoke-on-Trent, on 27 died when a car, a Toyota Avensis, driven by 22-year-old Ghulam Haider, crashed into the lorry shortly before 22:00 GMT that of North Street, Dudley, was jailed for nine years and four months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty last month to causing death by dangerous driving. He will also be banned from driving for five years when he is released from Insp Scot McGrath, of Staffordshire Police, said officers' thoughts remained with Mr Tamou's family."This is a tragic case of a completely avoidable death on our roads which has left a family without their loved one," he added. Mr Tamou, 58, was a rugby player, coach and referee who moved to the UK from New Zealand more than 30 years his death, his family described him as a devoted husband, father to six children and grandfather to five a post on X, Salford Red Devils Women's squad said Mr Tamou was an "avid supporter" of the side, for which his daughter played. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Martin Lewis shares important council tax payment update on live TV
Martin Lewis announced that the government is launching a consultation into council tax payments, which will affect over three million people. The Money Saving Expert founder criticised the current council tax debt collection process as "so rapid and aggressive it would make banks blush". Mr Lewis said that forcing individuals to pay for a year when they cannot afford a month is "destroying lives". The consultation will consider slowing down the debt collection process to allow people more time to pay before further action is taken. Watch the video in full above.
Sky News
12 minutes ago
- Sky News
Eight men arrested near Iranian embassy in London after 'altercation at protest'
Eight men have been arrested near the Iranian embassy in London after a protest turned violent, police have said. Seven men were detained on suspicion of grievous bodily harm just before 10am on Friday. Separately, a man has been arrested on suspicion of breaching an order imposed by police to prevent serious disorder. "Two men were treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital for further treatment by the London Ambulance Service," said the Metropolitan Police. The Met Police also confirmed their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. In a statement, police added: "Conditions have since been put in place to prevent serious disorder. This stops protestors from gathering in the area until 13:00pm on Sunday 22 June. "One man has been taken into police custody after he was arrested on suspicion of breaching the above conditions. "Seven other men remain in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm." The Met Police, who were called to the incident at 09.53am, confirmed the altercation took place on Prince's Gate, which is where the embassy is located. No further details have been released about the injured men, although the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said they were treated at the scene before one was taken to a major trauma centre and the other to hospital. An LAS spokesperson said: "We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and our Tactical Response Unit." It is not clear how the violence developed or what the demonstration was about, but initial reports suggested it centred around a protest against the Iranian leadership. The Iranian embassy has previously been the target of protests which have turned violent. In September 2022, demonstrators and police clashed outside the building in Knightsbridge. The protest was focused against the Iranian regime after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. The Met Police said five officers were seriously injured and 12 people were arrested in those scuffles. A year later, in September 2023, another rally was held in the same area to mark the first anniversary of Ms Amini's death. A number of national embassies are located on or near Prince's Gate, including those for the UAE, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Tunisia. Separately, the UK said on Friday it was temporarily withdrawing UK staff from its embassy in Iran due to the ongoing security situation there.
