UK court fines YouTuber Adil Raja in defamation case

LONDON: Former serviceman turned YouTuber, Major (retired) Adil Raja has lost his appeals in a UK court in a defamation case.

The British court has imposed a £10,000 fine on Adil Raja. He will pay £10,000 in compensation and security costs in the case of defamation.

The court found all allegations levelled by Adil Raja against Brigadier (retd) Rashid Naseer to be baseless and incorrect.

Brigadier (retd) Rashid Naseer had filed the defamation case against Adil Raja in the UK on August 11, 2022. Adil Raja, along with his lawyer and PTI UK leader Mehtab Anwar, appeared in court via a video link. Notably, Adil Raja has been residing in the UK since April 2022.

Adil Raja, faces defamation proceedings after accusing army official Brigadier Rashid Naseer of election manipulation and engaging in horse trading with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), according to court records.

Raja initiated his campaign against Brigadier Naseer on June 14, 2022, alleging in a tweet that the ISI’s Sector Commander Punjab “had assumed entire control of the Lahore High Court” to rig upcoming elections.

Read more: Adil Raja arrested by UK counter-terrorism police

On June 19, 2022, Raja further claimed that “supposedly ISI Sector Commander Punjab Brig Rashid Naseer met with Asif Ali Zardari multiple times while the latter was still staying in Lahore.

The defamation proceedings reportedly commenced in August last year against Raja, who has resided in self-imposed isolation in London since April 2022, following disputes with the army. The serving army officer refuted Raja’s claims and demanded legal action against him.

Raja has alleged a conspiracy for “regime change” involving active-duty military personnel since his relocation from Islamabad to London in April last year.

Recently, Raja faced criticism after releasing a vlog discussing a purported romance between former senior military officials and Pakistani entertainment sector stars, although he omitted specific names. Users on Twitter inferred that Mahira Khan, Kubra Khan, Mehwish Hayat, and Sajal were among those referenced.