Pakistan is set to extradite a convicted child sex offender to the United Kingdom after he was arrested in Punjab following a joint UK and Pakistan operation. Choudhry Ikhlaq Hussain was arrested during a joint operation between the Federal Investigation Agency, the Punjab Police and the UK’s National Crime Agency, in Sangla City in Punjab on Saturday January 26, officials told.
In 2016, Hussain was convicted and sentenced in the UK to 19 years imprisonment for serious sexual offences against a child. Hussain was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of rape and one count of conspiracy to rape. This followed a long-running Greater Manchester Police investigation – named Operation Doublet – which looked into the sexual exploitation of teenage girls in Rochdale.
Ikhlaq Hussain was convicted and sentenced in the UK to 19 years imprisonment
Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain was born in 1977 and lived at Mayfield Terrace in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Hussain fled to Pakistan during the trial but was found guilty in absentia. The UK has been working closely with Pakistan’s authorities since 2017 to secure his arrest and extradition. Officials have told this correspondent that an extradition request has been placed by the UK to Pakistan for Hussain’s immediate extradition to the UK following the arrest. Hussain’s arrest is a further operational success for the UK-Pakistan justice and accountability partnership established during the British Home Secretary’s visit to Pakistan in September 2018. The partnership includes a renewed commitment to tackling shared threats of organised crime and international criminality between two countries.
British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew said: “The arrest of this individual, who has been convicted of sexual offences by a British court, is a significant achievement, and another excellent example of UK-Pakistan cooperation in tackling international criminality and impunity. It sends a clear message that Pakistan is not a safe haven for international criminals. He expressed his gratitude toward Federal Investigation Agency and Punjab Police for their professionalism and dedication in the execution of this operation. British Home Secretary Sajid Javid visited Pakistan 17-18 September 2018. During his visit, the Home Secretary agreed to a new justice and accountability partnership to help Pakistan and the UK tackle the shared threats posed by serious and organised crime and international criminality. The partnership has strengthened collaboration and delivered a number of outcomes. This includes the extradition in October 2018 of Shahid Mohammad – wanted in the UK for the murder of five children and three adults.
Published in Daily Times, February 1st 2019.
