Birmingham Labour councillor pictured with alleged drug smuggler and another man who said he’d 'salute' Hitler

GB News has been shown three photos of Zaffar with alleged drug smuggler, Raja Arshad Khan, a man wanted in the UK for allegedly smuggling heroin through Birmingham Airport in a rice cooker.

Khan fled the country and failed to answer bail before he could be charged after a National Crime Agency investigation in 2014. On arrival in Pakistan, he changed his name to Raja Arshad Billu.

In social media posts shown to GB News from 2023 and 2024, the Birmingham councillor can be seen in the same photo as a now-bearded Khan on three separate occasions.

On a trip to Azad Kashmir in June 2023, Councillor Waseem Zaffar attended two gatherings in which he’s pictured with the alleged drug smuggler.

In a video of the outdoor gathering described as an “Eid” celebration, a man can be seen guarding the premises with a gun.

Councillor Zaffar is pictured again with Khan in 2024, with a post on social media describing how the men discussed the General Election, and current political situation in Azad Kashmir.

Zaffar told GB News: “I have met Raja Arshad Khan in Mirpur, Pakistan, but he is neither a friend nor a relative, and I have never hosted him.

“I had no knowledge or reason to suspect any criminal activity during those encounters.”

He added: “I only became aware of his involvement in drug offences in recent months and I immediately informed the Police and Crime Stoppers of all relevant information.

“I strongly condemn illegal drug activity and those involved in it."

In April this year, Khan, or ‘Billu’, was arrested and is currently awaiting trial after allegedly running an international drug network from Mirpur, Pakistan, since 2015.

Police suspect £22million worth of drugs were smuggled to Britain and Europe between 2015 and 2025.

Senior Superintendent of the Mirpur Police, Khawar Ali Shaukat, told a press conference earlier this year they seized over four kilograms of heroin, more than £85,000 worth of local and foreign currency, 11 guns, ammunition, a knife, mobile phones, and five vehicles during the arrest.

GB News can also reveal the same Labour councillor has been pictured closely with a man who publicly praised Adolf Hitler.

Kamran Ishtiaq is a former President of the UK's Pakistani Youth Council and current Advisor on Overseas Investment for the United Kingdom for the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

In 2014, he posted a picture of Hitler on his Facebook page, and when someone commented, “Hitler was a racist”, Ishtiaq replied: “He would have killed Muslims too if he got a chance, but you know what, I would salute him still if he killed 90 Muslims and 92 Jews.”

When asked to respond to the comments by Birmingham Live five years later in 2019, Ishtiaq said: “If it’s on my Facebook, I said it.”

In a social media post on October 31, 2024, the Birmingham councillor is pictured standing next to Kamran Ishtiaq at a wedding in Kashmir. In a video taken at the event, Zaffar is seen with his arms around Ishtiaq.

The Birmingham councillor told GB News he would have interacted with over 500 people at the wedding, and Ishtiaq was present with over 2,000 other guests.

Less than two weeks later, another photo of them together was posted online after Zaffar met with the Pakistan Federal Minister.

The Labour councillor is described as having attended the meeting in his capacity as the General Secretary of Labour Friends of Kashmir.

Zaffar says Ishtiaq was a member of the Minister’s staff team at that time, and he did not invite him.

Community activist in Lozells, Birmingham, Majid Khan, told GB News: “This photo is from 2024 and Waseem Zaffar would have known about Kamran's extremist views and anti-Semitism.

“Keir Starmer claims to be against anti-Semitism, yet this high-profile figure in Birmingham Labour mixes with such a despicable person.”

Responding to the pictures with Kamran Ishtiaq, Councillor Zaffar said: “I am not responsible for any of the statements, opinions, or online posts he has made, nor do I endorse them.

“To imply that I share those views simply because I have interacted with that individual is irresponsible and deeply misleading.”

The councillor has been an active member of the Labour Party for several years and was awarded an MBE for services to the voluntary sector.

He’s been pictured previously with Peter Mandelson, London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, who’s also the MP for Birmingham Ladywood.

He campaigned for both Angela Rayner and Lucy Powell in their respective bids to become the party’s Deputy Leader.

Councillor Zaffar is the second Birmingham Labour politician who has faced questions in the last month.

In October, Small Heath councillor, Saqib Khan, was deselected from Labour’s list of ‘approved’ candidates after it was revealed he attended the wedding of his younger brother, Fahan Khan, who was allegedly evading police after being charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

The Birmingham Conservatives told GB News: “For the second time in a few weeks, we have read in the papers via hardworking investigative journalists that senior Birmingham Labour Councillors have met with individuals on the run after being accused of criminality.

“Birmingham Labour need to come clean about how many more Labour Councillors have been meeting criminals on the run.”

They added: “Given Labour approved both these Councillors as suitable to stand for re-election in 2026, it's clear the suitability of every candidate for Labour must be urgently reviewed and the results made public.”

Waseem Zaffar also sits on the Aston Villa Safety Advisory Group, which was criticised by the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, last month after they banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their club’s Europa League fixture at Villa Park.

In a piece published by Birmingham Live in September, he announced he would not be attending the match in support of Palestine.

Responding to the pictures of Councillor Zaffar with Raja Arshad Khan and Kamran Ishtiaq, a spokesman for the West Midlands Labour Party said: “The Labour Party has zero tolerance of antisemitism. Under Keir Starmer's leadership, we have transformed our party with robust processes to deal with complaints swiftly and appropriately.

“We are committed to being a safe and welcoming home for the Jewish community.”

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