Convicted British sex offender held in Pakistan.

Byline: Amin Ahmed

ISLAMABAD -- A British national, convicted of sexual offences by a British court, was arrested in Pakistan during a joint operation carried out by the Federal InvesAtigation Agency (FIA), the Punjab Police and the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom.

A British High Commission press release on Thursday said Choudhry Ikhlaq Hussain was arrested during the joint operation in Sangla on Jan 26.

Hussain, 41, of Pakistani origin was sentenced in the UK to 19 years' imprisonment for serious sexual offences against a child in 2016. He was found guilty on 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.

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.

Courts will decide whether or not he should be extradited to UK

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 last year. The partnership includes a renewed commitment to tackle the shared threats of organised crime and international criminality between our two countries.

Hussain's case will now go to courts, which will decide whether to approve his extradition to the UK, the press release further stated.

On the successful joint operation, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Thomas Drew, said that 'the arrest of this individual, who has been convicted of...