Rukhsar Ahmed, a Manchester-based restaurateur, has been elected to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly while reportedly on police bail in the United Kingdom in connection with an ongoing child abuse investigation. Ahmed, 63, secured a seat last week representing the party of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Ahmed was arrested in July 2024 at Manchester airport as part of a probe into allegations of sexual abuse and trafficking involving children in care dating back to the 1990s. The Greater Manchester Police investigation, centered on the Rusholme area, has resulted in 22 arrests to date. The force initiated the inquiry in 2020 after receiving disclosures from survivors, and officials have stated they are compiling robust case files in pursuit of justice for abuses perpetrated decades ago.

Although Ahmed has not been formally charged with any offense, court records indicate that a British judge allowed him to travel to Pakistan while on bail, despite police objections. It is reported that Ahmed was scheduled to attend a police station in Manchester to answer bail last month but was deemed “too unwell to fly.” Around the same time, social media activity documented his active participation in the electoral campaign.

Ahmed’s political career includes serving as a minister in multiple Azad Jammu and Kashmir governments from 2006 to 2021. In the UK, he owns Gujjar Palace, a restaurant near Manchester’s well-known “curry mile,” and was photographed outside a neighboring establishment in May. Sources close to him describe Ahmed as a significant figure within Manchester’s Pakistani community. During his campaign, he emphasized his ministerial experience and sought to leverage his connections with the sizable British-Kashmiri diaspora to gain voter support.

This development comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions between the UK and Pakistan, notably relating to efforts to deport Shabir Ahmed, who was convicted as the leader of a Rochdale-based child abuse gang composed predominantly of men of Pakistani origin. Shabir Ahmed was released from prison last month, intensifying the ongoing debate between the two countries over justice and deportation issues.

Authorities and representatives have not provided further comment on Ahmed’s status, and the investigation remains ongoing.