Ex-Pak minister wins PoK poll while on UK bail in abuse probe

London,UPDATED: Aug 5, 2026 19:32 IST

A former Pakistani state minister, arrested in the UK on sexual assault charges linked to young girls, has contested and won an election in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) while on police bail, according to a British media report published on Wednesday. The Guardian reported that Rukhsar Ahmed, 62, was arrested at Manchester Airport in 2024 on suspicion of rape and trafficking children in care as part of a grooming gang scandal.

According to the report, Ahmed was last week "re-elected" to the so-called legislative assembly in PoK after being out of office for five years. He had been expected to report to Greater Manchester Police last month under his bail conditions, but reportedly failed to comply. The report said British police had wanted to restrict his ability to travel abroad as part of his bail conditions, but a court had rejected the tougher measures.

Ahmed is affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the party of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He held several ministries from 2006 until he lost his seat in 2021. He was recently pictured on social media campaigning at various election gatherings in PoK's Mirpur, and in a Facebook post on Wednesday, he shared images of a meeting with federal minister Amir Muqam.

"Ahmed was arrested at Manchester airport on 18 July 2024 in relation to past child sexual abuse allegations linked to the Rusholme area of the city, where he lived for many years," the newspaper report said. It added that detectives questioned him in July 2024 over allegations by at least two women who claimed that he was involved in raping and trafficking them when they were young girls. The report said detectives came to know about Ahmed's involvement in Pakistani politics while he was in custody for questioning.

The ongoing investigation against Ahmed, who is also a businessman, relates to allegations from several women about sexual abuse of children at care homes in the early 1990s, when he was in his late 20s. The newspaper reported that Ahmed is expected to answer police bail in Manchester within the next six weeks, failing which police could issue a warrant for his arrest or begin extradition steps. Greater Manchester Police told PTI, "There is nothing we would say on this", and declined to issue any statement at this stage. In sum, the report said Ahmed won a PoK election while facing an ongoing UK investigation and questions over his compliance with bail conditions.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends