For the first time in Pakistan’s history, its controversial intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which is long associated with state-sponsored terrorism, political manipulation, and repression of journalists, will be placed under legal scrutiny in a foreign courtroom. The Royal Courts of Justice in the United Kingdom will hear a defamation trial from July 21 to 24, in which ISI is the claimant in a lawsuit filed against former Pakistani army officer, Major (Retd.) Adil Raja.
The case centers on allegations made by Raja, who formerly served in the Pakistan Army and later became a vocal critic of its intelligence agency. The ISI will be represented by Brigadier Rashid Naseer, who claims that Raja’s allegations concerning the agency’s alleged involvement in terrorism, political interference, and human rights abuses are defamatory and false.
In 2022, Raja made headlines for exposing alleged ISI corruption and its support of militant organizations. In retaliation, a defamation lawsuit was filed against Raja in the UK by Brigadier Naseer, accusing him of tarnishing the image of an institution described in the claim as “professional and apolitical.”
Raja, once a decorated officer who fought in the Kargil War and held key military postings in regions like Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), began distancing himself from the military in 2010. His discontent grew over time, especially after he criticised the army’s role in operations that, according to him, resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians during drone strikes. He eventually voluntarily retired in 2016.
After his retirement, Raja briefly remained associated with ISI-affiliated entities, including the Ex-Servicemen Society (ESS), where he served as a spokesperson until 2018. However, his growing critiques of military conduct and ISI’s alleged links with militant groups further strained this relationship, particularly as his criticism was published in Pakistani media outlets.
In 2022, Raja moved to the UK to join his wife Sabin Kiyani and their British-citizen children. From his new base, he launched a platform [www.SoldierSpeaks.org, through which he released detailed accusations against the ISI. These claims included investigative accounts alleging that ISI operates militant training programs against India, exerts control over Pakistani politics, and is involved in systemic corruption and information suppression
In response, ISI, through Brigadier Rashid Naseer, initiated a defamation suit against Raja in the UK. The lawsuit, which critics describe as a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation), is perceived as an attempt to suppress dissent and avoid accountability.
The upcoming trial places ISI in a unique and unprecedented position as it must now defend its reputation in a foreign land. This is a historic moment, as it compels an agency long accused of supporting extremist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, as well as undermining democratic institutions in Pakistan, to legally justify its actions.
According to Raja, now a whistleblower and investigative journalist, the ISI presents itself as a “neutral military institution.” However, he plans to submit evidence spanning decades, suggesting the agency’s alleged involvement in numerous acts, including election rigging, media censorship, and even the alleged imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The outcome of this case could carry far-reaching implications. A ruling in favour of the ISI may embolden other intelligence agencies with controversial reputations to pursue legal actions aimed at silencing critics abroad.
Conversely, a judgment against the ISI may mark the first instance in which an international judicial body holds an intelligence agency accused of supporting terrorism, legally and morally accountable in a foreign country and exposing it to the world.
