Pakistani MP on bail for 1990s rape case refuses to give date for return to UK.

Rukhsar Ahmed, 61, was arrested at Manchester airport on 18 July 2024 in connection with alleged rapes of two underage girls from care homes in the city’s Rusholme area in the 1990s. He was released on bail and did not appear at a police station in Manchester after claiming to be too ill to travel back to the UK. Ahmed was later elected as a member of parliament for the centre‑right Pakistan Muslim League‑Nawaz party. When asked where he would fly back to Britain, Ahmed said he would do so but declined to give a specific date, explaining that he could not discuss the matter because of his legal team. He also said he had nothing to do with the alleged rapes, refusing to answer questions about the accusations. Greater Manchester Police had wanted to restrict his travel as part of his bail, but a judge rejected tighter measures in July 2024. Ahmed is expected to attend a bail hearing within the next six weeks; if he does not appear, police may issue a warrant for arrest or consider extradition. He served as a minister from 2006 until he lost his seat in 2021. The Guardian has tried to obtain a comment from Ahmed again but has received no response. Legal experts note that the Rusholme area has a long history of grooming‑gang investigations and that many allegations remain unsolved.