Farage threatens to cut Pakistan's foreign aid and ban visas unless it takes back Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed


Pakistan has refused to accept Shabir Ahmed, 73, back onto its soil, telling Ed Miliband there is no legal framework permitting his transfer. The convicted child rapist, whose 2012 trial resulted in convictions on 30 sexual offences against girls as young as 12, walked free in Britain after his release from prison on 2 July. Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar conveyed the position directly to Miliband, while Pakistani negotiators are privately demanding the return of Pakistani dissidents in exchange. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood pledged last month to close the 1971 Immigration Act loophole that shields Ahmed from deportation but has yet to act.
Farage branded Pakistan's refusal 'humiliating' and threatened to strip all foreign aid and bar new visas to Pakistani nationals should the country continue to refuse.
He also threatened to sanction members of the Pakistani government and freeze their assets, saying: 'If they want a fight, I'll give them one.'
The Ministry of Justice is currently paying thousands of pounds to fund Ahmed's probation terms while the diplomatic standoff continues.
