Pakistan premier spy agency not involved in kidnappings, torture, UK court told

LONDON: Former Pakistan senior military officer Brigadier (retd) Rashid Naseer has told the UK High Court that Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and the military have nothing to do with the incidents and allegations of kidnappings and torture in Pakistan.

Giving evidence on the second day of trial as part of his defamation case against Major (retd) Adil Raja, the retired Brigadier was cross-examined by Raja’s lawyer, Barrister Simon Harding, as well as Naseer’s Counsel David Lemer.

The London High Court Deputy Judge Richard Spearman KC remarked at the start of the trial on the second day that he will not allow the defamation case trial of Brigadier (retd) Naseer’s case against Adil Raja to turn into a trial of Pakistani politics. The judge remarked that the case is defamation of an individual (retired brigadier Naseer) and has nothing to do with the overall political situation in Pakistan or the role of the military or the ISI. The judge pushed Raja’s lawyer into admitting that Adil Raja had no truth defence. Immediately afterwards, Raja withdrew the truth defence which means he cannot claim that any of the allegations against Rashid Naseer are true. The only remaining defence is public interest.

Answering questions of Raja’s lawyer, the claimant Naseer said: “Speaking about myself. I have served in the intelligence service for a long time and I have never been involved in kidnapping, coercion, harassment and torture of anyone. Nobody ever asked me to do any such things. The ISI or the military is not involved in threats or kidnappings of journalists. These days, it's fashionable to blame the ISI for everything. It has become a fashion for some to say that they are facing threats in Pakistan by the intelligence services. This is alleged by some of those who have not visited Pakistan in nearly a decade, have no intention of visiting either, but they make such allegations.”

He continued: “My case is not about silencing critics of the government, the military or the journalists. Adil Raja became a journalist as a cover because you can get away with a lot when you are a journalist. I have experienced a lot of physical and reputational harm. This is my personal endeavour to clear my name.”

The retired brigadier said there are three categories of people from the UK who became concerned after Adil Raja published the allegedly defamatory material about him. 

“My immediate family, such as my nephew and niece who felt threatened. My extended family were concerned and many of them, who supported PTI and Imran Khan, thought these allegations were true. The third category are those who are still serving in the intelligence community of the UK; we served together in the UAE and Afghanistan. They persuaded me to clear my name. 

"My immediate family were worried, they thought their security would be jeopardised in London. I had a great relation with the UK intelligence professionals and worked with them in counter terrorism; we developed and worked together on counter terrorism operations, including on the threats to the UK national security and vice versa. We neutralised these threats. The UK officers placed me in high esteem as an army and ISI officer. They were all concerned because these tweets were done by a retired army officer from the UK. 

"My future plans went into jeopardy. My name and pictures are out and my name is tainted as a result of these allegations. This has made me feel vulnerable. I have received death threats and my family members have gone through the same. The person who came to assassinate me was arrested. He said he saw the tweets of Adil Raja that I was involved in the rigging of elections in 2024.”

The case is based on nine publications. In deciding the meaning of the publications in April 2024, Deputy High Court Judge Richard Spearman KC had ruled that Brig (retd) Naseer was defamed at UK common law when Adil Farooq Raja made the following allegations, without any evidence, in the publications in June 2022: (1) Rashid Naseer had taken complete control of the Lahore High Court; (2) Rashid Naseer had allegedly had several meetings with Asif Ali Zardari to discuss election manipulation; (3) Rashid Naseer will be eliminated at the right time by soldiers working covertly leaking information about the actions and movements of such people; (4) Brigadier Rashid Naseer was working against PTI candidates; (5) Rashid Naseer is part of a meticulously contrived process set up by military and intelligence officers to rig elections; (6) Rashid Naseer has been abusing his position, using huge unaccounted funds to ensure the victory of PDM; (7) Rashid Naseer will be abusing his position to harass PTI supporters during the PTI election; (8) Rashid Naseer has sinned and destroyed his chances of the promised life in the hereafter; (9) Rashid Naseer had caused the police to do his bidding by making a baseless allegation of bribery; (10) Rashid Naseer is directly involved in political interference; (11) Brigadier Rashid Naseer registered a complaint against Adil Raja in order to defame him; (12) Rashid Naseer got Adil Raja’s brother in law arrested; and (13) he played a prominent role in regime change.

Brig (retd) Naseer denies all these allegations. Adil Raja has been living in the UK since April 2022. Brig (retd) Naseer is represented by Counsel David Lemer of Doughty Street Chambers and Ushrat Sultana and Sadia Qureshi of Stone White Solicitors. Former major Raja is represented by Counsel Simon Harding, hired by Gunnercooke LLP.