YouTuber Adil Raja issues public apology for defaming senior Pakistan Army officer
Pakistan
Adil Raja admits defamation and issues a public apology following a London High Court order requiring him to pay £50,000 in damages and £260,000 in interim legal costs to a former ISI officer.
LONDON (Dunya News) – YouTuber and commentator Major (r) Adil Raja has publicly apologised after admitting he defamed Brigadier (r) Rashid Naseer, a former senior Pakistan Army officer, following a landmark ruling by the London High Court.
Acting on the court’s order, Raja confirmed that he had made several unfounded and defamatory allegations and had no defence to the claims brought against him.
Raja released a written apology across all his social media platforms, acknowledging that the allegations he published between 14 and 29 June 2022 were baseless.
By a judgment dated 9th October 2025 I was ordered by the High Court in London to pay Mr Rashid Naseer £50,000 in damages for libel, in addition to
— Adil Raja (@soldierspeaks) December 11, 2025
his legal costs, on the grounds that between 14 and 29 June 2022 I made a number of defamatory allegations about him and I had no…
The court had instructed him to issue the apology by 22 December and to keep it prominently displayed for 28 days. He stated that the High Court had ordered him to pay £50,000 in damages to Naseer, alongside significant legal costs.
Court findings
The judgment, delivered on 9 October 2025 by Deputy High Court Judge Richard Spearman KC, found that nine out of ten publications made by Raja had seriously defamed Rashid Naseer and caused substantial harm. The allegations included claims of corruption, election manipulation and abuse of authority, all of which the court ruled were entirely unsupported by evidence.
The ruling directed Raja to publish a summary of the court’s findings across X, Facebook, his website and his three YouTube channels. The court-provided summary, now posted on all platforms, states that Raja was responsible for defamatory statements and had no justification for the accusations he circulated.
Financial penalties
In addition to the £50,000 in damages, the High Court ordered Raja to pay £260,000 as interim legal costs. All financial obligations must be fulfilled by 22 December 2025. A penal notice included in the order warns that failure to comply could lead to imprisonment, fines or the seizure of assets.
London Court dismisses Adil Raja's allegations against Brigadier Rashid, imposes heavy penalties
Raja confirmed publicly that he had no defence to the claims and has accepted the court’s findings in full. His apology acknowledges that the statements he made about the senior army officer were unfounded and amounted to character assassination.
Injunction restrictions
The court also issued a detailed injunction preventing Raja or anyone acting on his behalf from repeating the allegations against Naseer. These include claims that Naseer controlled judicial processes, held secret meetings for election rigging in 2022, misused his position, acted against political figures or brought disgrace to the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence.
Naseer initiated legal proceedings in August 2022 over ten online publications made by Raja on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. After a full trial in July 2025, the court concluded that the allegations lacked any evidential basis and constituted a serious defamation.
Naseer was represented by Barrister David Lemer of Doughty Street Chambers, assisted by Ushrat Sultana and Sadia Qureshi of Stone White Solicitors. Raja was represented by Barrister Simon Harding.
