Adil Raja has suffered a crushing blow as a UK High Court Judge rejected all his applications including his application to stay a defamation trial progressing against him by former senior military officer Brigadier (Retired) Rashid Naseer.
Adil has now become a metaphor of fake news. The fugitive who was court-martialled in the Pak Army has now been declared guilty in the British court. The decision of the British court also confirmed that the court martial of the fugitive by Pakistan Army was lawful and justified.
His legal defeat has buried the false narrative of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) too. This is not only the defeat of Adil Raja, but the defeat of all his followers, especially PTI's disgusting and anti-state narrative.
The PTI leadership was complicit in Adil Raja’s false narrative. He was followed as a social media deity in PTI ranks. Like its criticism against Pakistani courts, judges, police and army, will now the PTI reject the British judiciary’s decision against Raja?
The decision of the British court has exposed not only Adil Raja but also other liars like Haider Mehdi, Moeed Pirzada, Wajahat Khan and Shaheen Sohbai who are always engaged in anti-state and anti-army propaganda.
Adil Raja’s begging for forgiveness after being in trouble with the law is actually evidence of his hypocritical attitude. Such snakes hiding in the grass must be brought to the surface as per the law. Now, the PTI leadership should publicly apologize for partnering with Adil Raja.
On the one hand, India is engaged in extrajudicial killings abroad through state terrorism on the basis of dissent, Pakistan has proved itself to be a responsible state by adopting the legal way to suppress the worst traitors. According to the media reports, Adil Raja is actively trying to make amends. But now this internationally certified liar will have to reach its logical end.
Yesterday, the UK court ruled that Mr Raja had published words which were seriously defamatory of Rashid Naseer in nine publications on social media sites YouTube, Facebook and Twitter/X.
Deputy High Court Judge Mr Richard Spearman KC ruled that Adil Farooq Raja should pay £5,000 to the now retired Brigadier for the rejected application to stay the defamation trial and the judge also ordered Adil Raja to pay a further interim payment on account of costs in the sum of £5,000 for the failed security for costs application. Adil Raja, the defendant, has until 17 April 2024 to pay this money.
With help from his lawyer and PTI UK leader Mahtab Anwar Aziz who also represents PTI activist Shayan Ali, Adil Raja appeared before the court remotely by video link and argued that the case of Brig (R) Rashid Naseer should be stayed on a number of grounds but the court rejected all his arguments which included allegations that Pakistan was an authoritarian state in which the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) controlled the Judiciary and the Government and allegations of election rigging in Pakistan.
In the case on meaning, the High Court Judge ruled that 9 out of the 10 publications published by Adil Raja were defamatory of Brig (R) Rashid Naseer at common law and were matters of fact, rather than expressions of opinion. Brig (R) Rashid Naseer’s name had surfaced when former PM Imran Khan named him as Mr ‘X’ in making wild and baseless allegations – the allegations Khan and his party stepped back from and failed to prove at any forum.
