A former Pakistani state minister who recently returned to political office is facing serious allegations in Britain over his alleged involvement in the sexual exploitation and trafficking of underage girls decades ago.

Rukhsar Ahmed, 62, who was re-elected to the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly last week, was arrested in July 2024 and remains on bail, according to The Guardian. The investigation concerns accusations dating back to the 1990s, when Ahmed was in his late 20s and living in Manchester.

Two women reportedly came forward in 2024, accusing Ahmed of raping and trafficking them when they were minors. Their accounts have now placed renewed attention on allegations surrounding a man who has since gone on to hold political office in Pakistan.

Ahmed has not been convicted of the alleged offenses, and the case remains an investigation rather than a finding of criminal guilt.

According to the report, Ahmed was once a prominent figure in Manchester's Pakistani community and owned the Guijar Palace restaurant near the city's well-known “Curry Mile” district.

The allegations also raise an uncomfortable question about how long serious accusations involving child sexual exploitation can remain buried before authorities—and political institutions—are forced to confront them.

Britain's grooming-gang scandals have already exposed profound failures by institutions that were supposed to protect vulnerable children. For years, victims were left suffering while authorities struggled—or in some cases appeared unwilling—to confront the networks responsible.

Now, the allegations against a Pakistani political figure add another extraordinary dimension to a scandal that has already shaken public confidence in Britain's ability to protect children.

The central issue should not be race, religion, or political affiliation. It should be whether children were exploited, whether those responsible were properly investigated and prosecuted, and whether institutions failed victims along the way.

If the accusations against Ahmed are substantiated, the fact that he later returned to public office would demand serious scrutiny.

For the victims, however, the most important question is much simpler: after decades of silence, will the truth finally receive the attention it deserves?