Pakistan-origin Javid told BBC Radio 4 that a high number of men involved in gang-based child exploitation in the UK are from Pakistan.

"When it comes to gang-based child exploitation it is self-evident to anyone who cares to look that if you look at all the recent high-profile cases there is a high proportion of men that have Pakistani heritage," Javid has been quoted saying in media.

He further said if he ignores the ethnicity, it will give the extremists "oxygen".

Sajid Javid a few months ago had ordered an investigation into why members of sexual grooming gangs are disproportionately from a Pakistani background.

The Home Secretary as quoted in British media had said "the controversial move would explore the 'particular characteristics' of offenders in order to prevent cases like those suffered in Rotherham, Telford and Newcastle.

A few years ago Britain was rocked by the Rochdale child sex abuse ring involving British Pakistani men. Nine men were convicted for sex trafficking and rape of underage teenage girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.  Forty-seven girls were identified as victims of child sexual exploitation during the police investigation in 2012.

Kind of substantiating Javid's statement, Dawn News had earlier reported that sexual abuse of minor boys is frequent in Pakistan.

According to a lawyer, many rape and abuse cases find no takers due to the low payment. Additionally, many lawyers feel that taking up such a case is likely to bring their profession into disrepute.

Article 377 of the Pakistan Penal Code states:  "Unnatural offences: Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which (shall not be less than two years nor more than) ten years, and shall also be liable to fine."

However, in reality, court record yields only 12 cases of unnatural offences.