Pakistan Demands Extradition of Political Dissidents From UK in Exchange for Taking Members of "Grooming Gangs"
Pakistan is willing to take back UK’s Rochdale “grooming gangs,” under one condition.
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Pakistan has formally proposed a controversial exchange with the United Kingdom, offering to repatriate convicted British-Pakistani members of a gang that groomed young girls in exchange for the extradition of high-profile political dissidents back to Pakistan, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
The proposal was the centerpiece of a closed-door meeting on Thursday between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott. While the official readout focused on “security cooperation” and “countering fake news,” insiders say the talks hinged on a quid pro quo arrangement: Islamabad will issue travel documents for Pakistan-origin sex offenders stripped of British citizenship if London hands over former federal minister Shahzad Akbar and YouTuber Adil Raja. Pakistan’s military-backed government has long accused critics like Raja of trafficking in “fake news,” a charge they have also leveled against other news outlets critical of its crackdown on democracy over the past several years, including Drop Site News.
For years, the UK Home Office has struggled to deport members of the Rochdale grooming gang, who were convicted of sex trafficking and abuse in 2012 and stripped of their British citizenship, but remained in legal limbo after Islamabad refused to recognize them as nationals. The proposed deal would see Pakistan reverse this stance, offering the British government a significant political win at home.
In exchange, Pakistan is demanding custody of Akbar and Raja, both vocal critics of the country’s powerful military establishment. During the meeting, Naqvi formally handed over extradition papers for the two men, accusing them of orchestrating “anti-state propaganda” from British soil.
“Both individuals are wanted in Pakistan. They should be handed over to Pakistan immediately,” Naqvi told Marriott, according to a ministry statement. He presented what officials described as evidence of “anti-state propaganda” orchestrated from British soil. “I fully believe in freedom of expression, but fake news is a problem for every country,” Naqvi stated, adding that “no country can allow slander and defamation against state institutions from those sitting abroad.”
The potential deal, which the High Commissioner has not yet agreed to, faces immediate legal issues in the UK, where judges are barred from approving extradition if the request is politically motivated or if the individual faces a risk of persecution.
The Rochdale Gang
At the heart of Pakistan’s offer is the fate of the Rochdale grooming gang ringleaders, specifically dual nationals like Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan. Following their convictions for organized child sexual abuse, the UK government stripped them of their British citizenship in 2018 to facilitate their deportation. However, the men had already renounced their Pakistani citizenship, exploiting a loophole in international law that prevents the deportation of stateless individuals.
The “undeportable” grooming gang members have been weaponized effectively by British right-wing agitators like Tommy Robinson (Stephen Yaxley-Lennon). Robinson’s rallies and documentaries, such as “The Rape of Britain,” cite these specific cases as proof of a “two-tier justice system” where the state allegedly protects foreign-born predators over working-class white victims.
This narrative has received unprecedented amplification from tech billionaire Elon Musk. Throughout late 2024 and 2025, Musk repeatedly tweeted “Free Tommy,” in reference to Robinson’s conviction on a contempt of court case, while attacking Prime Minister Starmer over his record as Director of Public Prosecutions during the height of the grooming scandals. Musk has amplified claims that a “quarter of a million” children were victims, a figure disputed by officials. Musk’s attention has internationalized the pressure on the Labour government.
Naqvi offered to facilitate the return of “Pakistanis illegally residing in the UK,” which Drop Site’s sources indicated was a diplomatic euphemism for the convicted offenders, provided the UK reciprocates on Akbar and Raja. This puts the British government in a difficult position: balancing the domestic political win of deporting sex offenders against its legal obligations to protect political refugees from persecution—including likely torture and long term detention.
The extradition request targets two of the Pakistani military establishment’s fiercest critics. Akbar, a former accountability czar, and Raja, a retired army major, have utilized social media to allege corruption and unconstitutional maneuvering within Pakistan’s power corridors.
Raja has not renounced his Pakistani citizenship and is a legal permanent resident of the UK. His Pakistani passport was cancelled by Pakistani authorities in June of last year. “For years, I have been targeted for my journalism, my national ID and passport were blocked, my assets seized, I was court-martialed in absentia and sentenced to 14 years without a fair trial, my mother was abducted and is still prevented from leaving Pakistan, and I have faced coordinated lawfare abroad, including a counterterrorism case that resulted in no further action, and a SLAPP lawsuit designed to financially strangulate me,” said Raja in a statement to Drop Site News.
Akbar is also a legal resident of the UK and a licensed barrister. “They [the Pakistani government] are doing this because for the past month I have been reporting about the appointment of Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir to another powerful role and the constitutional amendments that are making it possible. Pakistan does not have an extradition treaty with the UK and I have not committed any crime under UK law, so I don’t know under what law I will be extradited,” Akbar told Drop Site.
Pakistan’s powerful army chief was recently appointed the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces, a new role granting lifetime legal immunity. This move, following his earlier promotion to Field Marshal (already a lifetime position), further consolidates his unchecked power, while former Prime Minister Imran Khan remains behind bars. The primary opposition to Munir’s rule now comes from activists outside Pakistan.
MORE: Drop Site spoke with Aleema Khan, Imran Khan’s sister, on Friday.
The Pakistani government has engaged in a broader campaign of transnational repression targeting dissidents, including the arrest and potential extradition of supporters of Khan’s party living in the United Arab Emirates. Citizens of Western countries with family members in Pakistan have also been threatened by Pakistani authorities. In some cases, their relatives have been detained and tortured as a means of silencing their political criticism.
In the case of Akbar and Raja, Naqvi’s own recent rhetoric may have inadvertently strengthened the dissidents’ defense by making clear the political motivations at hand. Just days prior to the meeting, the Interior Minister appeared in a video statement threatening a massive “crackdown” on digital dissent.
“Let me tell them: you are coming back very soon, we will bring you back, and you will have to answer for this. The state’s decision is clear—we will not spare them,” Naqvi warned, referring to social media reports critical of the military. He explicitly threatened to “repatriate” YouTubers, stating, “We will not allow anyone to create panic in the garb of journalism.”
Naqvi is expected to visit London this weekend and is expected to hold high-level meetings with British officials.
Despite the human rights implications, the political allure of the swap for the UK government remains high. With immigration and deportation being key voter issues, the prospect of finally removing grooming gang members could tempt officials to look for ways to evade their legal obligation to protect political dissidents on their soil from harm.
Who needs these perverts, xmas iscsuppose to be a happy time for kids
Dangerous times to be a dissident. Looks like Raja and Akbar as critics of the Pakistani military regime are not safe in the UK. Time to seek asylum elsewhere.