LONDON: YouTuber and political commentator Adil Raja has publicly confirmed that he made “a number of defamatory allegations” against Brigadier (retd) Rashid Naseer and “had no defence to his claim,” following a binding order from the London High Court in a landmark defamation case.
Raja published the mandatory summary of the judgment across all his online platforms — including X, Facebook, YouTube, and his website — after the court issued a stern penal notice warning him of possible imprisonment, fines, or seizure of assets in case of non-compliance. The court order requires the summary to remain posted prominently for 28 days.
The High Court had ruled in October that Raja defamed Rashid Naseer by spreading false allegations between June 14 and 29, 2022, including claims of corruption, election manipulation, and blackmail. After a full trial in July 2025, the court found Raja had “no defence” to the allegations and awarded Naseer £50,000 in damages and approximately £260,000 in legal costs.
Judge Richard Spearman KC further imposed an injunction barring Raja — directly or through associates — from publishing or implying any statements linking Naseer to misconduct, including claims of controlling the Lahore High Court, rigging elections in Lahore, meeting political leaders to manipulate polls, abusing authority, or acting against PTI.
Read More: ICC opens Phase-I ticket sales for 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup
The mandatory court-provided summary published by Raja reads:
“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 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 defence to his claim.”
Naseer initially filed the defamation claim in August 2022 over ten publications on Raja’s social media platforms. The court found nine of them to be seriously defamatory, causing significant reputational harm.
Naseer was represented by Barrister David Lemer of Doughty Street Chambers and solicitors Ushrat Sultana and Sadia Qureshi. Raja’s legal team was led by Barrister Simon Harding.
Reacting to the court-mandated publication, Raja denied reports that he was ordered to “apologise,” saying:
“The Court required me to publish a mandatory summary under Section 12 of the Defamation Act 2013. It is not an apology, nor was I ordered to apologise. Any claims to the contrary are misleading.”
Raja added that he had complied fully with the High Court directions and would continue to follow legal procedures.
