Former army man and YouTuber Adil Raja has rebutted news of his arrest by the United Kingdom police on Tuesday, as he slams the Pakistan media for running the alleged news.
“The ‘fake news’ of my arrest / questioning by the UK police, published a few hours ago by the sold-out Pakistani media, aka blackmailing business, exposes the credibility of Pakistani news outlets, if there was any left,” he said in a post on X, erstwhile Twitter, on Tuesday.
His reaction came after Pakistan Press International (PPI) while citing diplomatic sources reported that Raja has been arrested in the UK on allegations of inciting people against Pakistan’s state institutions.
It alleged that the former army man was summoned to the UK police office for inquiry. The state-run news agency claimed that the British officials have confirmed former army man’s arrest.
“Adil Raja was arrested on charges of inciting people against the Pakistan Army. According to the allegations, he shares hateful content against Pakistan’s institutions on social media,” the PPI said.
It merits here to mention that last month the army court-martialed two of its former officers several years after their retirement, sentencing them to up to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Adil Raja, who was a major, and Raza Haider, a former captain, had their ranks forfeited under the court-martial decree.
They would no longer be attaching “major” and “captain” with their names.
The outcome of the court martial proceedings was announced on November 25 in a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“Major (Retired) Adil Farooq Raja and Captain (Retired) Haider Raza Mehdi, both retired officers of Pakistan Army, were convicted and sentenced through Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under Pakistan Army Act, 1952 for the charges of inciting sedition among army personnel from discharge of duties and violation of the provisions of Official Secrets Act, 1923 related to espionage and acts prejudicial to the safety and interest of the State,” the ISPR statement.
