Overview
- Shabir Ahmed was released on licence after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence and is under strict supervision including staffed accommodation, an electronic tag and exclusion zones.
- A provision of the Immigration Act 1971 that protects a small group of Commonwealth arrivals from removal is preventing Ahmed’s deportation despite his citizenship having been stripped.
- Pakistan’s government says its records show Ahmed renounced Pakistani citizenship decades ago and will not accept him, while UK officials say he did not complete the required renunciation process and have asked Islamabad for documentary evidence.
- Ministers in London say they will examine all options, including emergency legislation and amendments proposed by opposition MPs, but officials warn legal change alone may not secure removal without Pakistan’s cooperation and identity documents.
- The case has provoked public anger and fresh calls for law reform, and it could prompt quicker changes to return rules or tougher diplomatic measures if the UK decides to press Islamabad to accept convicted foreign offenders.