By Asif Mahmood
The recent proceedings in the United Kingdom have torn apart the entire web of lies that fuelled chaos, confusion, and deliberate discord in Pakistan. For years, a well organised propaganda network operated freely, manufacturing stories, inventing scandals, and spreading targeted disinformation to poison public opinion. That entire structure has now collapsed under the weight of evidence and judicial scrutiny. The UK High Court has categorically held that the allegations levelled by Adil Raja against Rashid Naseer in June two thousand twenty two were not only false but lacked any lawful defence. As a result, the Court has ordered Raja to pay fifty thousand pounds in libel damages, two hundred sixty thousand pounds in interim legal costs, and all remaining legal fees. He has also been directed to publish a court approved apology on every one of his media platforms for a continuous period of twenty eight days with the apology placed at the top.
The Court has further issued a strict injunction that bars Raja from repeating or even hinting at any of the accusations he previously made. This includes all claims connected with the two thousand twenty two Punjab elections, alleged meetings, supposed rigging, claims of misuse of authority, suggestions of corruption, or any form of threat. The order leaves no ambiguity. Any breach can lead to contempt proceedings that may result in heavy fines or even imprisonment. The Court has also set twenty two December two thousand twenty five as the final date for all ordered payments.
The situation becomes even more revealing when one observes Raja’s own reaction. He is now writing publicly that once the legal process began, he had absolutely nothing to present in his defence. This open admission destroys the narrative that these individuals usually rely upon. If such a case had taken place in Pakistan, they would have shouted that state pressure was used, that their voice was being silenced, and that truth was being punished. But here the decision has come from a foreign court functioning independently, far away from Pakistani politics. This alone exposes the fragility of their claims and the hollowness of their outrage.
The ruling also exposes the deeper phenomenon behind this entire episode. What was presented as activism or analysis was nothing but a cult like arrangement built on misinformation. Carefully crafted lies were projected as facts and repeated so frequently that they influenced ordinary people and created hostility toward state institutions. This machinery harmed Pakistan’s political environment and damaged public trust. The decision of the British court has therefore done more than award damages. It has delivered moral clarity.
Pakistan must now take note. No society can afford a system where fabricated stories are treated as truth and where character assassination becomes a political tool. Freedom of expression is a responsibility and not a licence to spread falsehood. The precedent set in the United Kingdom shows that accountability for lies is both possible and necessary. Pakistan must deal with similar campaigns of disinformation with the same seriousness so that the business of deception finally comes to an end.
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