Two members of UK grooming gang could be deported to Pakistan this year

Two members of a gang jailed in 2012 for grooming young girls for sexual abuse in northern England could be deported to Pakistan by the end of this year, the Times reported on Tuesday.

Qari Abdul Rauf, 55, and Adil Khan, 54, would be deported after the Ministry of Interior's legal clearance for their return.

The report said that the UK's decision to drop a five-year ban on direct flights between the two countries has paved the way for deportation of the two men.

"Currently, the case is being handled by Pakistan’s interior ministry. Once they provide clearance, it will be passed to the foreign ministry, which will finalise the acceptance of Rauf and Khan," the report quoted a senior Pakistani government official as saying.

In 2022, the pair lost their appeal against deportation following a protracted seven-year legal battle, which incurred significant costs for British taxpayers.

Read more: FIA busts gang trafficking Pakistani women to China under pretext of marriage

However, they continued residing in Rochdale as Pakistan declined to accept their return.

According to recent reports, Islamabad’s stance may now shift, following the UK government's decision to allow the resumption of direct flights between the two countries.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country's national carrier, was banned from operating in the UK and European Union in 2020.

The ban was imposed after a tragic crash on May 22 of that year, when a PIA flight from Lahore to Karachi crashed during landing, resulting in the deaths of 97 out of 99 people on board, along with one fatality on the ground.