Lord Nazir Ahmed steps down as peer

LONDON: Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham has announced his retirement from the House of Lords, drawing curtains

on a career in British politics that saw many highs and lows.

The British-Pakistani confirmed on Monday that he has decided to retire from the House of Lords after 23 years of service. It is understood that Lord Ahmed wrote to the clerk of the House of Lords a month ago, expressing his wish to retire.

The UK Parliament confirmed to Lord Ahmed that his retirement allocation had been approved under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 “as of 14 November 2020”.

The Lord Speaker on Monday announced in the UK Parliament that Lord Ahmed has retired at the start of business on November 16, 2020. Lord Ahmed made history when he became the first Muslim, Kashmiri, and Pakistani to enter the House of Lords as a Labour peer, making his mark instantly through a combative style of politics, as well as taking unconventional positions on issues such as the Iraq war, Kashmir issue, and rights of Muslims. He was suspended from the Labour Party for opposing the Iraq war.

Lord Ahmed has been involved in charitable projects at a massive level and gathered influence in the community by helping a large number of charitable organisations. He spent nearly 35 years in active politics and served for 10 years as a councilor before joining the House of Lords. He has been a vociferous advocate of the Kashmir cause.