Main Adil Raja claims threats, household focused after exposing Pakistan military
In an explosive interview with India Right this moment’s Geeta Mohan, former Pakistan Military officer and whistleblower Main (Retd) Adil Raja has accused the Pakistani navy institution, notably the ISI, of weaponising the UK’s libel legal guidelines to silence dissent overseas. Raja, now residing in exile in London, faces a high-stakes defamation trial beginning on 21 July 2025, a case he describes as a “strategic lawsuit in opposition to public participation” (SLAPP) designed to undermine his journalism and intimidate critics of the Pakistani state.
The trial pits Raja in opposition to serving Pakistani navy officer Brigadier Rashid Nasir, who claims defamation after Raja publicly accused him of political and judicial manipulation — allegations Raja insists are supported by proof and broadly shared in Pakistan. Cleared of terrorism fees by UK authorities following a 9-month enquiry in 2023, Raja states this civil lawsuit is the ISI’s new tactic in what he calls “lawfare”, the usage of authorized techniques overseas to export censorship.
The previous officer recounted surprising reprisals in opposition to his household in Pakistan, together with his mom’s purported home arrest and passport cancellation, and the acid assault on a key witness, Shahzad Akbar, within the UK. Raja warns {that a} ruling in opposition to him may set a harmful international precedent, emboldening authoritarian regimes to silence exiled journalists by way of overseas courts.
“This isn’t simply my battle,” he mentioned, “it’s about press freedom all over the place.”
Q: What occurs when a person in Pakistan needs to talk fact to energy? What occurs when a person has to depart that nation and stay in exile? What occurs when he has to depart his providers after which comply with what he thinks is correct for Pakistan? Main Adil Raja is now not within the military, however he has served in Pakistan and now lives in exile as a result of he’s questioned the Pakistani military, and he continues to, now as a journalist in London, query what’s occurring in Pakistan. And what does he get in return? He will get a defamation case.
What’s the case all about? Is that this muzzling by the Pakistani ISI, and the way is the Pakistani administration doing it as we speak? To debate all this and extra, I’m being joined by Adil Raja himself. Thanks a lot for doing this, Adil. It’s a very powerful one — you’ve had a tricky few months, so to say. First, simply break it down for us — what is that this case that you simply’ve been combating in opposition to the administration in London?
A: Nicely, you see, it’s not been a tricky few months however powerful few years, I might say. As a result of the defamation case began in August of 2022, and it’ll trial subsequent week, beginning Monday, the twenty first of July, 2025.
It’s a strategic lawsuit in opposition to public participation — it’s a part of the lawfare launched in opposition to me by the Pakistani navy institution and its intelligence arm, the ISI, with whom I used to be as soon as working, as a third-generation Pakistan Military officer.
And this lawfare is making use of the UK’s relaxed libel legal guidelines, which favour the claimant — and that’s why the UK, and London particularly, is known as the libel tourism capital of the world. And that’s not me otherwise you saying it — that’s Geoffrey Robertson, the King’s Counsel, in his e book Lawfare: How the Wealthy and the Authorities Attempt to Forestall Free Speech.
He writes this, and it’s a well-established incontrovertible fact that lawfare within the UK is launched by the wealthy and highly effective. If you happen to’ve acquired one to a few million British kilos to spare, you’ll be able to silence anybody within the UK — and that’s the reason it’s referred to as the libel tourism capital of the world.
For the main points, you’ll must learn the e book Lawfare by Geoffrey Robertson — I’ve simply quoted him. However I’ll offer you a quick background: earlier than this libel case, the Pakistani state — solely as a result of I used to be a whistleblower, exposing crimes in opposition to humanity in my nation — focused me.
I used to be committing the cardinal sin: being a former military officer, a third-generation Pakistani military man, exposing the crimes of my establishment — the regime change operations, controlling the federal government, political manipulation, judicial manipulation, and corruption. That may be a cardinal sin.
Due to that, they acquired me arrested right here within the UK by the counterterrorism police, saying that—
Q: When have been you arrested?
A: I used to be arrested in 2023 by the UK’s counterterrorism police for a couple of hours, however I used to be stored on bail for 9 months. The Pakistani media reported it — it was the Pakistani state that acquired me arrested underneath the counterterrorism legal guidelines, saying my journalism was inciting violence in Pakistan. However the UK’s counterterrorism police performed an inquiry for 9 months and cleared me of all the fees. They didn’t even cost me — they cleared me of all allegations.
However that didn’t cease my earlier establishment, which I served as a third-generation officer, they deciding to court-martial me in 2020.
Q: Fees — what have been the precise fees?
A: The counterterrorism fees have been that I used to be inciting violence overseas — they confirmed a couple of tweets and a livestream on YouTube. Due to this, they acquired my channels on YouTube terminated. They mentioned the livestream was about 5 hours, which I did with Pakistan’s main dissenting journalists — Dr. Moeed Pirzada, Shaheen Sahbai (who’s a witness in my case), Colonel Syed Akbar Hussain (one other witness in my case), Wajahat S. Khan, Haider Mehdi — we have been reporting on the occasions of Could ninth, 2023, which have been already public on social media.
However they mentioned that was incitement of violence, and reported it to the UK police.
Q: However you’ve been cleared.
A: Cleared — after 9 months, they may discover nothing. They needed to finish the case with no additional motion. However they nonetheless went forward and court-martialed me in absentia, sentenced me to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment underneath the Official Secrets and techniques Act.
Q: Again to Pakistan — your homeland.
A: Yeah, my house, the place my mom is, who acquired kidnapped by them and is stored hostage in Pakistan, so I don’t go and see her. She’s virtually underneath home arrest — her passports have been cancelled. She was kidnapped on her option to the airport as soon as, alongside my uncle, who has handed away — he was a retired colonel. Now she’s not allowed to depart. My whole household’s passports have been blocked and cancelled — their nationalities too — simply because I’m talking up for the reality and the individuals of Pakistan.
Then they got here up with this SLAPP — strategic lawsuit in opposition to public participation — and began serving me notices. That is simply one of many information — I’ve whole stacks of such information. They began this lawfare in opposition to me as a result of they’ve acquired cash to spare, affect — undoubtedly they’ve affect within the UK. However they haven’t been capable of get me underneath counterterrorism, so now they’re attempting their luck within the courts within the UK, for the reason that UK is the libel tourism capital of the world — as King’s Counsel Geoffrey Robertson says.
Q: Coming again to your loved ones, is there any provision in Pakistani legal guidelines that members of the family’ passports could be rescinded, revoked, taken away, in order that they are often stored within the nation, not allowed to depart in any respect?
A: What legislation are you speaking about, Geeta? There’s no legislation in Pakistan — besides martial legislation. As soon as the military chief decides one thing, he’ll do it. He determined his buddy — my brother-in-law — ought to torture my sister, ship her again house and snatch her son — they did it. I’m sorry for getting emotional — I’ve by no means—
Q: I perceive — I do know, I do know it should be very tough.
A: However they’ve finished it, no person can cease them. Would possibly is correct; that’s the rule of legislation in Pakistan. Pakistan is an authoritarian state, Amnesty Worldwide stories, and Human Rights Watch says partially free. I say it’s not free in any respect. If you happen to can fly out and in, high-quality, however when you keep shut. You attempt to converse up, you find yourself in jail like Imran Khan.
The navy guidelines navy doesn’t have a public mandate. In order that they create chaos if Imran Khan, who had the general public mandate, tried to construct bridges with India, the navy created chaos as a substitute. They plan assaults in order that chaos retains individuals distracted jingoism retains individuals distracted from the actual points.
Q: How is the UK administration permitting this? How did the Pakistani Excessive Fee take this ahead to make sure there’s a defamation case in opposition to a dissenter residing in London? Many advocates of media freedom say this trial may set a really mistaken precedent.
A: Very pertinent. So far as the UK authorities is worried, they cleared me after 9 months. They stored me on strict bail, however my glorious authorized crew and my rights helped they drop the case. So justice did prevail, the UK institution does imagine in honest play, and needs to guard dissidents.
However on the subject of lawfare, anybody with hundreds of thousands of kilos can come to the UK and exploit its libel legal guidelines. The burden of proof is on the defendant, not the claimant. That’s how the ISI is taking me to courtroom right here: the ISI’s senior officer — Brigadier Rashid Nasir, the Punjab sector commander — got here to the UK whereas serving in 2022, claiming I defamed him by saying he’s concerned in political manipulation, judicial manipulation, which even children in Pakistan know.
Q: So he has to come back to London each listening to?
A: Sure — he’s in London now, goes to courtroom. However I don’t go as a result of the UK police gave a witness assertion that I’m underneath risk, so I seem by way of distant hyperlink.
Q: Is that this a civil case, Adil, or a Pakistani crackdown on overseas soil?
A: It’s technically a civil case, nevertheless it’s a Pakistani crackdown on overseas soil. The Nationwide Union of Journalists right here handed a movement saying I’m going through a SLAPP. They mentioned this case represents a major risk to press freedom and journalistic integrity — SLAPPs are designed to silence journalists by way of expensive authorized motion.
They resolved to totally help me, flow into my press launch, encourage media protection, and invite me to share particulars. They know what’s happening. The UK works on case legislation — if I lose, it’ll set a precedent for muzzling dissent globally. That’s why many British journalists are shifting to France — as a result of the EU handed anti-SLAPP legal guidelines in 2024.
My witnesses — Pakistan’s senior journalists like Shaheen Sahbai, Colonel Syed Akbar Hussain, Shahzad Akbar — their households are being threatened. Their social accounts hacked — propaganda campaigns run. The ISI is utilizing all its energy to silence this. They only don’t need any protection, as a result of it exposes their delicate stomach.
Q: How assured are you that the ruling might be in your favour? Or are you fearful about what the ISI may affect in a London courtroom?
A: It’s delicate — 50-50. There’s no jury — it’s all as much as the decide. Why would a decide rule the ISI rigs elections? However all the pieces I’ve mentioned is confirmed. Nonetheless, contemplating UK-Pakistan relations, they might not go there. The hurt claimed is absurd — I spoke the reality in public curiosity.
It’s delicate, the ISI is spending hundreds of thousands, hiring prime authorized chambers — the identical one Keir Starmer labored at. So it’s an enormous machine.
Q: Aside from Brigadier Rashid Nasir, who do you blame in Pakistan?
A: The Military Chief, Common Asim Munir, is immediately concerned. The DG ISI, Lieutenant Common Asim Malik, can be immediately concerned. They know their possibilities aren’t shiny, in order that they preserve it low-key and muzzle protection. The English media in Pakistan is managed depending on state promoting, in order that they solely print what the institution needs.
Q: Adil, you’ve been courageous. However are you scared? The risk is actual — we’ve seen leaders lose their lives. Benazir Bhutto is an instance. Imran Khan says the identical.
A: I’m not scared, however sure, I’m cautious. There’s a skinny line between foolishness and bravado. My household is scared that my pensions, property, financial institution balances, and property are all gone. I stay at a police-protected handle, I’m in hiding, can’t transfer freely.
One among my witnesses, Shahzad Akbar, suffered an acid assault at his house right here within the UK. So sure, the risk is actual, however I’ve to battle. I used to be groomed as a soldier. I took an oath to the individuals, not the generals. Pakistanis need democracy, their mandate revered, that’s what I’m combating for.
Q: How do you see political stability coming? Imran Khan’s sons, Reham Khan’s new occasion — what do you make of this?
A: Imran Khan’s sons aren’t involved in politics, solely in getting reduction for his or her father. Reham Khan’s occasion I don’t take it significantly, perhaps it’ll survive if the navy helps it. The actual plan is greater, creating chaos, attacking India, utilizing battle jingoism to justify an emergency and extra management.
The plan is allegedly by the Military Chief, Asim Munir, placing his brother-in-law as PM, himself or one other common as president, a Musharraf-style accountability push to say they cleaned up Pakistan. That’s the plan; whether or not they succeed relies on whether or not they can provoke battle.
Q: Last query, God forbid, if there’s an try in your life, who would you blame?
A: The Pakistani navy institution. The Military Chief Asim Munir. The DG ISI, Asim Malik. Main Common Faisal Nasir. Brigadier Rashid Nasir. They’re behind the threats, the identical individuals threatening my witnesses. The one purpose they haven’t acquired to me is as a result of I’m cautious, skilled, and guarded by British police. However sure, this battle is excessive stakes.
I learn Faslon ko Takalluf as a child. My nation is my life. I’ll battle for it. Peace is the one manner ahead — peace could make South Asia the richest area once more, like earlier than colonisation.
– Ends
