Tag: Adil raja

  • UK court orders Adil Raja to pay even more fine

    UK court orders Adil Raja to pay even more fine

    A UK court has dismissed PTI-affiliated controversial YouTuber Major (retd) Adil Raja’s appeal to waive a £10,000 fine along with imposing an additional fine of 3,000 pounds.

    Raja was originally fined for defamation by the UK court following a complaint by Brigadier (retd) Rashid Nasir. Raja had appealed for the waiving of the fine on April 16, 2024, just a day before the original deadline for payment.

    Moreover, Adil Raja has also started a fundraiser for himself at GoFundMe with the title “Fight Against Fascism” which has already collected over £45,000.

    In the past, Raja has claimed financial troubles to cover his fines and legal fees however the court’s ruling indicates that the plea did not convince the judges.

    Brigadier Nasir’s legal action was initiated on August 11, 2022, following a campaign against him by Raja that began on June 14, 2022.

  • Government report identifies multiple PTI leaders for May 9 protests

    Government report identifies multiple PTI leaders for May 9 protests

    The May 9 report from the caretaker government doesn’t just talk about the role of incarcerated Prime Minister Imran Khan in the riots but also reveals how multiple Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) leaders encouraged party workers to participate in violent protests. 

    The report revealed that on May 9, protests flared up at 300 locations in the country, going on to describe the role of every individual in the entire event.

    “Upon Mr Khan’s arrest, PTI leaders promptly took to social media to spread lies about Mr Khan’s custody and encourage people to violence. It was widely alleged that Mr Khan was being tortured and that he was likely to be assassinated. The language employed was sensationalist, inflammatory and it consistently encouraged violence,” said the report presented before the present cabinet a few days back.

    “Some instances of lies and incitement to violence by PTI leaders on that day are as follows. Hammad Azhar tweeted at 1437 hours to allege that Mr Khan was being tortured. Ms Zartaj expressed fear at 1510 hours that Mr Khan would be killed in custody. Murad Saeed tweeted at 1437 hours, 1444 hours and 1620 hours in which he, respectively, called PTI workers to gather at designated spots, not to let authorities torture and kill Mr Khan, and to make earth hell for those who consider themselves powerful. Farrukh Habib tweeted at 1651 hours asking people to lay down their lives but not let the police torture Mr Khan. Ali Amin Gandapur tweeted at 1712 hours telling workers it was now or never and to protect Khan with their lives. Ali Zaidi tweeted at 1623 hours and asked his workers to shut down the province (Sindh). Ms Anam Sheikh, Ms Shandana Gulzar Khan, Ms Kanwal Shauzab tweeted within a short span of each other encouraging people to protest at GHQ Rawalpindi. Senator Ejaz Chaudhary tweeted at 1428 hours calling all party workers to shut down the whole country. Faisal Javed tweeted at 1448 hours alleging Mr Khan was being tortured. Shahryar Afridi tweeted at 1536 hours implying that the traitors who had arrested Mr Khan had attacked the nation. Omar Malik tweeted a video message at 1555 hours encouraging people to march towards the residence of Corps Commander, Lahore.”

    “Shortly after Mr Khan’s arrest, certain foreign based vloggers uploaded video messages making unsubstantiated allegations of torture and encouraged people to attack state institutions. Many of these vloggers incited general public to attack military installations. Most alarmingly, they tried to incite rebellion amongst armed forces and encouraged army officers and jawans to revolt against their command. These vloggers included Adil Raja, Haider Mehdi, Wajahat Khan, Moeed Pirzada and Shaheen Sehbai. Adil Raja and Haider Mehdi encouraged army officers to revolt,” said the report.

  • ‘Shayan suffers from mental health issues,’ his lawyer tells UK Court

    ‘Shayan suffers from mental health issues,’ his lawyer tells UK Court

    A legal representative for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist in the UK Shayan Ali, who is famous for protesting outside Nawaz Sharif’s residence in London, has informed the UK’s High Court that the young political worker suffers from mental health issues.

    Mahtab Anwar Aziz is representing both Shayan Ali and Adil Farooq Raja in defamation cases brought against them by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Punjab cabinet member Mariam Aurangzeb, and Brigadier (retired) Rashid Naseer.

    The duo has been accused of making false allegations of fostering terrorism, corruption, murder, kidnappings, torture, and electoral rigging.

    In a recent hearing, lawyer Aziz argued before the court that his client Shayan was “a vulnerable young teenager, who has suffered mental health issues due to the strategically prolonged litigation designed to financially drain Ali’s family, who are supporting him as he is a full-time student.”

    Meanwhile, Shayan himself remained defiant according to his posts on X, formerly Twitter.

  • Adil Farooq Raja and Haider Raza Mehdi convicted for ‘inciting sedition’

    Adil Farooq Raja and Haider Raza Mehdi convicted for ‘inciting sedition’

    Two retired officers of the Pakistan Army have been convicted and sentenced for “inciting sedition” under the Army Act and violations of the provisions of the Official Secrets Act, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday.

    “Major (Retired) Adil Farooq Raja and Captain (Retired) Haider Raza Mehdi, both retired officers of the Pakistan Army, were convicted and sentenced through Field General Court Martial (FGCM),” said the military’s media wing.

    “The retired officers have been sentenced under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 for the charges of inciting sedition among army personnel from the discharge of duties and violation of the provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 related to espionage and acts prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state.”

    The statement added that the court of competent jurisdiction convicted and adjudged both individuals on the date of 7th and 9th October 2023, through a due judicial process. Major (retd) Raja has been given 14 years of rigorous imprisonment while Captain (retd) Mehdi is awarded 12 years of rigorous imprisonment, it said.

    “Pursuant to the awarded sentence, the ranks of both officers have been forfeited on November 21, 2023,” added the ISPR.

  • Yes, Adil Raja needed to apologise

    Yes, Adil Raja needed to apologise

    Every now and then we sit and wonder: why are women easy and soft targets for hate, abuse and criticism? What is it in our society that allows men to slander and defame women without any consequences?

    Recently, Youtuber Adil Raja claimed that some Pakistani actresses and models were working in cahoots with General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI chief General Faiz Hameed to trap politicians. Although he shared the initials of the actresses instead of full names, it became obvious to netizens who he was referring to. Soon after his vlog surfaced online, a large number of social media users were seen spreading a collage of pictures featuring Mehwish Hayat, Mahira Khan, Kubra Khan, and Sajal Aly.

    Pakistan’s political rivalries have often played out by powerful men maligning innocent women to humiliate their opponents. The narratives almost always invoke charges of immoral behaviour between men and women who are well-known enough to generate intrigue and scandal. This case was no different. Do we ever use initials of men in the industry to malign someone? Has anyone ever done any moral policing on men? Are names of Pakistani actors and models dragged similarly as our women for revenge tactics and cheap fame? No, because people think twice before dragging a man’s name. Women aren’t and will not be dummy objects to be dragged and slandered in the present day tug-of-war for more likes, shares and subscription on a YouTube channel or for social media fame.

    There is no doubt that the system is rigged against women and partial towards men. Women are almost always accused of inviting the attacks on themselves by virtue of the fact that they are women. Will the system for once rise up to the promises and practice the same levels as it does for its men. Though the men of the film industry took a stand for the women and what was even more heartening to see was these women standing for themselves and rising up because they had to for the protection of their name, respect and the hard work they had put in. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, defamation laws are toothless, and it take years for people to clear their names.

    We hope that from onwards, the so-called keyboard warriors think twice before defaming a woman, think twice as hard before trying to disrespect a woman. Women aren’t soft targets; men need to learn to get their two cents of fame on their own and not misuse women’s names.