Govt proscribes UK-based YouTuber Adil Raja under ATA

• Interior Ministry issues notification dated Dec 27, listing Raja in Fourth Schedule of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997
• Govt move follows cabinet approval, Interior Ministry summary, citing alleged anti-state propaganda, security threats

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has declared UK-based YouTuber and former Pakistan Army officer Adil Farooq Raja a proscribed person under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, citing his alleged sustained involvement in activities posing a serious threat to Pakistan’s security, integrity and public order.

According to an official notification, the government said it had “reasonable grounds to believe” that Raja had been consistently misusing online platforms to promote, facilitate and amplify anti-state narratives and propaganda associated with proscribed terrorist organisations, thereby acting in a manner prejudicial to the sovereignty and defence of Pakistan.

وفاقی حکومت کا بڑا فیصلہ،ریاست مخالف گمرا کن پروپیگنڈا کرنےوالے شرپسندعناصرکیخلاف گھیرا تنگ

اداروں کیخلاف ہرزہ سرائی اور گمراہ کن پروپیگنڈا کرنے والے بھگوڑے عادل فاروق راجہ کےگرد گھیرا تنگ

وفاقی حکومت نے بھگوڑے عادل فاروق راجہ پر انسداد دہشتگردی ایکٹ کے تحت ریاست مخالف… pic.twitter.com/HIlEkTPEIm

— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) December 28, 2025

The notification, issued by the Interior Ministry and dated December 27, stated that, “In exercise of powers conferred by Section 11EE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, the federal government is pleased to direct to list Mr Adil Farooq Raja in the Fourth Schedule to the said Act as a proscribed person for the purposes of the said Act.”

The move followed the approval of the federal cabinet, after the Interior Ministry submitted a summary seeking Raja’s proscription on December 23, according to the notification.

The development came roughly 20 days after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi handed over extradition papers for Raja — who has positioned himself as a whistleblower — and former special assistant to the prime minister Shahzad Akbar to UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott.

Earlier, Naqvi had announced a crackdown on individuals involved in fake news, stating that the government would seek the repatriation from the United Kingdom of YouTubers engaged in such activity or in targeting state institutions.

Reacting to the proscription, Raja said in a post on X: “They may call the British High Commissioner to complain, but such a complaint is itself unlawful under UK statutes, as we have committed no wrongdoing.”

Earlier this month, on December 10, a London High Court ordered Raja to pay £350,000 in damages and legal costs after ruling that he had defamed a former intelligence officer through unfounded allegations of corruption and electoral interference.

In 2023, Raja was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment following his Field General Court Martial for ‘inciting sedition’ and was stripped of his military rank.

While the military’s media affairs wing did not directly link the convictions to the events of May 9, Raja and Mehdi had been accused by the Islamabad police of playing a significant role in fomenting rebellion and inciting attacks on military installations during protests that erupted following the arrest of PTI leader Imran Khan on that day.