Lord Nazir Ahmed, who was the first Muslim to be appointed a peer in Britain's House of Lords, was found guilty of a sexual assault on a minor boy and attempted rape of a minor girl.
Lord Nazir Ahmed, the poster boy of the anti-India campaign and Kashmiri separatism, has been convicted by the Sheffield Crown court in the United Kingdom for two sexual assault incidents. Nazir, who was the first Muslim to be appointed a peer in Britain's House of Lords, was found guilty of a sexual assault on a minor boy and attempted rape of a minor girl. Nazir will be sentenced on February 4.
The 64-year-old, who was born in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and later migrated to the United Kingdom, had initially denied the charges. However, his defence fell flat after an audio conversation between him and the victim girl emerged. The case dates back to the 1970s when Nazir was around 17 years old, but his victims were much younger. Nazir's older brothers -- Mohammed Farouq (71) and Mohammed Tariq (65), were co-accused in the case involving the abuse of a minor boy but were deemed unfit to stand trial.
To recall, Nazir had been forced to resign from the House of Lords last year after he was accused by a woman of trying to obtain sexual favours by exploiting his position. The conviction comes as a slap on the face of those trying to project India in poor light, not just in the United Kingdom but also in other nations.
Nazir has been at the forefront of a malicious anti-India campaign, which has seen him often make vitriolic speeches against India over the Kashmir issue. He has also actively endorsed separatist Khalistani groups. In fact, he was one of the main speakers in the controversial Referendum 2020 Khaistani event in London's Trafalgar Square in 2018.
Even as his trial was going on, Nazi was slated to appear before a Labour Party executive panel where he was expected to be officially sacked for an anti-semitic interview he gave to a television channel in Pakistan. To lower the embarrassment of being sacked, Nazir had himself quit the party just two days ago. The sentencing will be a major setback for Pakistan, which had been peddling its anti-India propaganda through the likes of Nazir.
Also Read: Captain Harpreet Chandi becomes first Indian-origin woman to complete a solo trek to South Pole
Also Read: Navy captain Amy Bauernschmidt becomes 1st woman to command US nuclear carrier