Lord Nazir Ahmed, who became the first Muslim to be appointed a peer in Britain's House of Lords, was on Wednesday convicted of sexual assault.
Nazir Ahmed (64) was born in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and migrated to the UK as a child. His appointment to the House of Lords in 1998 was termed a historic moment for the British Muslim community.
Ahmed was convicted by the Sheffield Crown court for two sexual assault incidents in the 1970s: A sexual assault of a boy and attempted rape of a girl. “Lord Ahmed had attempted to rape the girl in the early 1970s, when the defendant was aged 16 or 17 but she was much younger. The attack on the boy, who was aged under 11 at the time, also happened during the same period,” BBC reported. Earlier, media reports said the incidents happened between 1971 and 1974.
Ahmed had previously claimed the allegations were “malicious fiction”. “Lord Ahmed was charged along with his two older brothers, Mohammed Farouq, 71, and Mohammed Tariq, 65, but both were deemed unfit to stand trial,” BBC reported.
Nazir Ahmed resigned from the House of Lords in 2020 after he was accused of exploiting his position to obtain sexual favours from a woman.
The judge directed Lord Ahmed to appear in court on February 4 for sentencing.
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Lord Ahmed has been known throughout his time in the House of Lords for intemperate remarks, particularly on India and Israel.
His Twitter profile refers to himself as a “campaigner for Kashmiris”. He has also been a supporter of Khalistani groups and has organised protests over Kashmir and Khalistan. Ahmed has been critical of the BJP-led government in India.