ISLAMABAD: The federal government has officially designated YouTuber Adil Farooq Raja as a proscribed person under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 1997.
Adil Farooq Raja, a former Pakistan Army officer who currently lives in the United Kingdom, has been accused of activities deemed harmful to Pakistan’s national security.
According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior on December 27, authorities believe Raja has remained persistently involved in actions that threaten the country’s security, sovereignty, and public order. The notification alleges that he repeatedly exploited digital platforms to spread anti-state content and promote narratives linked to banned militant groups.
Invoking powers under Section 11EE of the ATA, the government ordered that Raja’s name be placed on the Fourth Schedule of the Act. The decision followed the federal cabinet’s approval of a summary forwarded by the interior ministry on December 23.
This move comes weeks after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi handed extradition-related documents concerning Raja to UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott through former SAPM Shahzad Akbar. Earlier, Naqvi had announced strict action against individuals accused of spreading disinformation and targeting state institutions from abroad, particularly from the UK.
Reacting to the proscription, Raja stated on social media platform X that approaching British authorities against him would itself violate UK laws, insisting he had committed no offense under British statutes.
Earlier this month, a London High Court ordered Raja to pay £350,000 in damages and legal expenses after ruling that he had defamed a former intelligence official by making baseless allegations of corruption and election manipulation.
In 2023, Raja was sentenced to 14 years in prison following a Field General Court Martial on charges of inciting sedition. He was also dismissed from military service and stripped of his rank.
Although the military’s media wing did not explicitly connect his conviction to the May 9 unrest, Islamabad police accused Raja and another individual, Mehdi, of instigating violence and encouraging attacks on military facilities after the arrest of PTI leader Imran Khan.
