- Why did the KP government employ him?
That Sohail Ayaz was deported to Pakistan from the UK without anyone telling the Pakistani authorities of why he was deported is bad enough, but what seems beyond belief is that he was able to land a job with the KP government as a consultant on governance, and that too at a fat salary. That he got the job indicates that he had a network, of relatives, friends or even fellow paedophiles, behind him. That he was left free to assault 30 minors, is evidence that the UK did not share the information of why he was deported, which was because of a conviction for paedophilia.
There is now splendid talk of creating a Sex Offenders Register, on which Mr Ayaz would have been placed if had existed, but that would not solve the problem of why there was no background check by the KP government before giving him a job. There should have been some exploration of the circumstances of his return from the UK. There are two main reasons for deportation, overstay and litigation. Litigation is very often shorthand for deportation after having served a jail sentence post conviction for a criminal offence. Even if someone has been convicted of an offence, Pakistan should know, even if the convict is not a sex offender. Why should Pakistan not know of pickpockets, cat burglars or bank robbers?
Another aspect of the affair is that of child pornography. Mr Ayaz was described by the judge who presided at his trial as ‘driven by powerful paedophiliac interests’, but was also thought to peddle paedophiliac videos. With scandals striking Pakistan (starting with the Kasur scandal of 2017), the country could develop an unfortunate reputation. No one wants Pakistan to replace the image of Terrorism Central with that of Kiddie Porn Capital; that is not quite the ‘soft image’ that anyone wants projected. Ayaz Sohail should serve as that example. The KP government should make sure there are no flaws in the investigation, and that the mentally sick find KP too hot to hold.
