LONDON: A UK court has ordered former military officer and YouTuber Adil Raja to publicly apologise to retired Pakistani Brigadier Rashid Naseer.
The court ruled that Raja must keep the apology on his X, Facebook, YouTube, and website pages for 28 days. He must also pay £310,000 in damages and legal costs by December 22.
The decision follows Raja’s defeat in a defamation case filed by Brigadier (retd) Naseer in October. During Monday’s hearing, High Court Judge Richard Spearman rejected Raja’s appeal.
The court instructed Raja to pay £50,000 in damages and £260,000 for legal costs by December 22. Additional court expenses will be determined later. An injunction was also issued to prevent Raja from making further defamatory statements.
Brigadier (retd) Naseer had requested the court to issue an appropriate order following the October ruling. Raja’s lawyer indicated plans to appeal the decision. Raja himself also confirmed he will challenge the verdict.
During the hearing, Brigadier (retd) Naseer appeared in court, and Raja’s legal team was present. The October ruling had dismissed Raja’s claims as baseless and ruled in favor of Brigadier Naseer.
Earlier last week, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with Jane Marriott, the United Kingdom’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, in Islamabad on Thursday and formally handed over extradition documents for former prime minister’s aide Shahzad Akbar and YouTuber Adil Raja.
The meeting took place days after the interior minister announced a nationwide crackdown on individuals accused of spreading disinformation and maligning state institutions.
He had warned that those operating from abroad, particularly in the UK, would be brought back to Pakistan through legal channels.
According to an official statement, discussions during the meeting focused on Pakistan-UK bilateral relations, security cooperation, and matters of mutual concern.
Federal Interior Secretary Muhammad Khurram Agha and other senior officials were also present.
The return of Pakistani nationals residing illegally in the UK was also discussed.
The interior minister stated that both Shahzad Akbar and Adil Raja were wanted in Pakistan and their immediate extradition was being sought.
He also submitted supporting evidence against individuals accused of running propaganda campaigns from overseas.
Mohsin Naqvi said that while he believed in freedom of expression, the deliberate spread of false information posed serious challenges for all countries.
