Adil Farooq Raja (; born 15 November 1978) is a Pakistani journalist and former military officer. He served as a major in the Pakistan Army until his retirement in 2017. He later served as a spokesperson for the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society (PESS) until 2022, when he announced his resignation.
In April 2022, Raja was reported missing from Islamabad before later resurfacing in the United Kingdom. After relocating to the United Kingdom, Raja became known for producing YouTube videos under the channel Soldier Speaks where he describes himself as a whistleblower and critic of the military establishment of Pakistan. He since been court-martialed for sedition and espionage and sentenced in absentia to 14 years of imprisonment, and designated and convicted under anti-terror laws in Pakistan which has requested his extradition. The convictions have been criticised as transnational repression targeting journalists.
Early life, education and military career Raja was born on 5 December 1978 in Pakistan. He belongs to a Punjabi Muslim Chib Rajput family with a military background. During World War I, his great-grandfather, Subedar Major Sardar Niaz Ali Khan of the British Indian Army, was sentenced to life imprisonment in Kala Pani for refusing to fight against the Ottoman Empire. His father, Major (retired) Umar Farooq Raja, also served in the Pakistan Army.
Raja joined the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) and was commissioned into the Pakistan Army in 1999 as part of the 99th PMA Long Course.Adil Raja (@soldierspeaks) [@soldierspeaks] (31 July 2020). "Today it's the 21st Passing Out Anniversary of my course PMA 99th L/C. We graduated climbing those Red Stairs of Pakistan Military Academy in 'Slow March' on 31st July 1999." (Tweet). Retrieved 9 January 2026 - via X (formerly Twitter). He graduated from PMA with a bachelor's degree in history and international relations, along with military and general sciences.
While serving in the Pakistan Army, Raja completed a master's degree in international relations from the University of Peshawar between 2006 and 2008. He later enrolled at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, where he undertook coursework toward an MPhil in international relations and affairs from 2013 to 2015, completing the first two semesters with a Grade A before interrupting his studies due to operational commitments related to Pakistan’s National Action Plan against terrorism and extremism. During this period, he was involved in managing a Pakistan Army de-radicalization program in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Raja served in the Pakistan Army from 1999 to 2017 and retired as a major.Adil Raja (@soldierspeaks) [@soldierspeaks] (15 July 2025). "To Whom It May Concern. This is my Retirement Order from the Pakistan Army." (Tweet). Retrieved 9 January 2026 – via Twitter. During his service, he was associated with the ISI and later served as a spokesperson for the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society (PESS) from 2019 to 2022 when he resigned.
Following his retirement from the military, Raja said he started a land acquisition business, later stating that his firm worked with organisations including Defence Housing Authority and Bahria Town.
Exile and activism
2022 disappearance and relocation to the United Kingdom In April 2022, Raja resigned as spokesperson of the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society and was reported missing from Islamabad. His wife, Sabine Kayani, said on social media that she had been unable to contact him and sought help tracing his whereabouts. Dawn reported that men claiming to be from the Federal Investigation Agency had allegedly raided the residence of Raja’s mother while Raja was not present, and that Raja had shared a police complaint alleging threats to his life. Raja later stated that he had safely reached his family in the United Kingdom, while The Express Tribune also reported that he had reached London after the reports of his disappearance.
Later reports linked Raja’s departure to pressure on him and his family. In 2025, The Week reported that Raja left Pakistan on 21 April 2022 on a flight to London via Doha, and cited his UK court witness statement alleging raids on his office and his mother’s house before his departure. After relocating to the United Kingdom, Raja became active through his Soldier Speaks platform, presenting himself as a whistleblower and critic of Pakistan’s military establishment. His videos include claims of involvement by senior officers in political interference and human rights abuses, and have reportedly gained a following among critics of Pakistan's military establishment.
Transnational repression Raja has reported on what he describes as transnational repression by the Pakistani military establishment, focusing on efforts to intimidate, harass, or silence political dissidents living abroad. In articles and video content published after his relocation to the United Kingdom, he has alleged that critics of Pakistan's military establishment face surveillance, coercion, and threats outside Pakistan. Raja has stated that he himself has been subjected to such pressure. The issue of Pakistani transnational repression has been widely documented in reports by international human-rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as by United Nations special rapporteurs, who have warned that the government increasingly targets critics beyond its borders through intimidation, harassment, and violence. Pakistani authorities have denied involvement in such activities.
In March 2026, the Washington-based organization Freedom House reported that Pakistan had intensified its campaign of transnational repression targeting exiled journalists and political commentators. The report cited cases involving Pakistani dissidents abroad, including investigations by British counter-terrorism police into alleged attacks against exiled critics in the United Kingdom. According to prosecutors, several individuals were charged in connection with a plot targeting former military officer and journalist Adil Raja and human-rights lawyer Mirza Shahzad Akbar, during which Raja’s residence in London was ransacked and Akbar was assaulted.
Extradition request On 4 December 2025, Pakistani interior minister Mohsin Naqvi filed an extradition request on the behalf of the government of Pakistan to the UK High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott, seeking the extradition of Raja. The request was accompanied by documents citing allegations of anti-state propaganda.
According to media reports, Naqvi linked the extradition request to Pakistan's acceptance of the return of two ringleaders of the Rochdale grooming gang, arrangement that British officials said had been discussed but not agreed.
Raja rejected the extradition effort, describing it as "politically motivated". In an interview with The Telegraph, he said the move amounted to "transnational repression" aimed at silencing his journalism, adding that he had committed no offence under UK law and that the allegations against him stemmed from his reporting on human-rights abuses and corruption within Pakistan’s military establishment.
On 27 January 2026, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) released a statement expressing concern over what it described as unexplained incidents affecting NUJ member Adil Raja. The statement urged the UK government to resist any attempt to extradite Raja and condemned what it referred to as transnational repression targeting journalists, adding that the government has a duty to protect journalists and ensure their human rights are respected.
In April 2026, The Freelance, published by the National Union of Journalists’ London Freelance Branch, reported that Raja said he had received threats in March 2026 from an individual claiming links to the White House and US intelligence agencies, and that the matter had been reported to UK authorities.
In July 2026, ''The Telegraph'' reported that Pakistani officials had again linked discussions over the return of convicted Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed to Islamabad's demands concerning UK-based dissidents and political activists. According to the report, Pakistan was prepared to consider Ahmed's return if Britain addressed its concerns over figures including Raja, Shahzad Akbar and Altaf Hussain. NDTV and ''The Times of India'', citing ''The Telegraph'', reported that Pakistan had sought the extradition of Raja and Akbar over allegations of spreading "fake news" and anti-state propaganda.
Raja subsequently criticised The Telegraph's coverage, saying that the newspaper had approached him for comment but did not publish the statement he provided. He described the report as "one-sided" and said that his "only crime" was speaking out against what he called unaccountable power in Pakistan and practising journalism as an accredited member of the National Union of Journalists.
In July 2026, ABP News reported that it had obtained a January 2026 letter from then-UK Security Minister Dan Jarvis to British MP Sarah Green concerning Raja's extradition. In the letter, Jarvis said that the UK regularly raised concerns with Pakistan regarding democratic freedoms and human rights, including restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, and stated that attempts by foreign powers to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the United Kingdom would not be tolerated. Jarvis did not confirm or deny the existence of an extradition request, stating that extradition decisions were a matter for the judiciary.
Later that month, The Times reported that Raja had not been informed of any renewed extradition request. He accused Pakistan of exploiting the political pressure facing the British government over the deportation of Shabir Ahmed, but said he had seen no indication that the United Kingdom would agree to such an arrangement.
House break-in and assault In late December 2025, Raja's residence in Chesham, England, was broken into by two men described by police as wearing dark clothing while the property was unoccupied. Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London (SO15) took over the investigation due to the targeted nature of the incident, which police said was being treated as a potential attack on a dissident figure. UK counter-terrorism police stated that they were investigating the break-in alongside related attacks on fellow critic of the Pakistani military establishment Shahzad Akbar in Cambridge, which included assaults and property damage, and that the incidents were being examined as potentially linked and coordinated. Indian news outlet ABP News published an investigative report alleging that individuals linked to Pakistani intelligence services, specifically the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had discussed or prepared plans for overseas operations targeting critics of the military establishment, including Raja. The report cited intelligence-related material and described the alleged targeting as part of a broader pattern of transnational repression against dissidents abroad.