A UK High Court has ruled against YouTuber and former Pakistan Army officer, Major (Retd) Adil Farooq Raja, in a defamation lawsuit brought by Brigadier (Retd) Rashid Nasir, a former officer of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The court found Raja’s accusations of corruption and political interference to be false and defamatory, ordering significant financial penalties and a public apology.
Court Finds Allegations Baseless and Orders Apology
Justice Richard Spearman KC delivered the verdict on Thursday, stating that Raja had made serious but unsubstantiated allegations against Nasir in multiple social media posts and videos. These included claims of corruption, election manipulation, and human rights abuses, all of which were deemed without factual basis.
The court awarded £50,000 in damages to Nasir and an additional £300,000 in legal costs, bringing the total to £350,000. Raja was also ordered to:
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Publish a summary of the verdict across all his social media channels
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Apologise publicly to Nasir
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Provide a written guarantee that he will not repeat the claims
Justice Spearman emphasised that Raja presented no credible evidence, and his three witnesses — journalist Shaheen Sehbai, former PTI leader Shahzad Akbar, and Syed Akbar Hussain — failed to support his allegations.
Case Linked to Social Media Posts and Viral Controversies
The defamation case, initially filed in August 2022, gained public attention in April 2023 when Raja sparked new controversy by targeting Pakistani actresses in his videos. The judgment has now brought a legal conclusion to that wave of online claims.
Raja responded to the ruling with disappointment. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote:
“Today is a disappointing day… our struggle for democracy will continue.”
He reaffirmed his commitment to political activism, despite the legal setback.
