Pakistani minister arrested over grooming gang rapes in Manchester but failed to attend hearing as he was 'too unwell to fly'

A former Pakistani state minister has been arrested on suspicion of raping vulnerable girls in Manchester in the 1990s.

Rukhsar Ahmed was re-elected as an MP in Pakistan after more than five years out of office last week.

He has been on bail in the UK since his arrest in July 2024 on suspicion of rape and trafficking children in care as part of a grooming gang.

Ahmed, 62, was expected to answer bail at a police station in Manchester last month, but he failed to appear because he was “too unwell to fly".

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At the same time, he was pictured on social media campaigning throughout northern Pakistan.

He was elected last week as the MP for Azad Jammu for the party of Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif.

He represents the centre-right Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and was a minister in various state governments from 2006 until 2021, when he lost his seat.

It is understood that Greater Manchester Police attempted to restrict Ahmed’s ability to travel abroad as part of his bail conditions, but a judge rejected those conditions in July 2024.

He was arrested at Manchester Airport on July 18, 2024, in relation to past sexual abuse allegations linked to the Rusholme area of Manchester, where he resided for many years.

The politician has more than 17,000 followers on social media and was pictured in Rusholme as recently as May this year.

He is the former owner of a restaurant, the Gujjar Palace, near Manchester’s curry mile.

A friend said people would travel hundreds of miles to see Ahmed, given his role in Pakistani politics.

A senior leader of PML-N in Pakistan-administered Kashmir said he had known Ahmed for at least two decades; however, he did not know about the rape allegations against him.

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He said: “We just heard that he was part of some groups in Manchester in 1990s. But I personally didn’t know about such severe allegations existed against Ahmed.”

It is understood that GMP detectives learnt about his involvement in politics whilst he was detained and questioned.

The investigation is linked with allegations from multiple women about sexual abuse of children in a care home in the early 1990’s when Ahmed was in his late 20s.

Friends of Ahmed told The Guardian that he was “incredibly influential” in Manchester’s Pakistani community due to his political links.

An associate said he was a “man of the people,” and “one of the least corrupt people.”

Another man described him as "a man of conviction who helps people who need it".

The Gujar Palace now appears boarded up and not in use.

A local said it has not been operational since at least 2009.

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