ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Friday sentenced YouTuber and retired army officer Adil Raja and six other journalists and commentators to two life terms each for what prosecutors described as “digital terrorism” linked to the May 9, 2023, unrest after former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest. The court said the men used online platforms to incite or amplify attacks against state institutions, ordering additional prison time and fines, Jan. 2, 2026.
Court orders reviewed by Dawn said Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced reserved verdicts after trials held in absentia at the prosecution’s request. The cases were registered in 2023, with police files tied to Islamabad’s Ramna and Aabpara police stations, the orders said.
Adil Raja and the May 9 “digital terrorism” case
Along with Adil Raja, the court convicted retired officer Syed Akbar Hussain and five media figures: Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir, Shaheen Sehbai, Haider Raza Mehdi and Moeed Pirzada. Prosecutors alleged the group used digital platforms to “incite, facilitate and amplify” attacks during the May 9 riots.
The court’s written orders said each man received two life sentences — for waging or attempting to wage war against Pakistan and for criminal conspiracy — plus 35 years’ imprisonment across additional counts under the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act. The court also imposed a cumulative fine of 1.5 million Pakistani rupees; the orders said the sentences would run concurrently and warned that failure to pay could add further jail time.
In reporting on the judgment, Reuters said the court found the men’s online material promoted “fear and unrest” and fell under Pakistan’s terrorism laws, and that the sentences are subject to confirmation by the Islamabad High Court.
Several of the convicted men rejected the ruling publicly. Adil Raja wrote on X: “Speaking truth to power is now called Digital Terrorism in Pakistan.” The Associated Press reported Shakir called the case “nothing but a political victimization” and said he was not in Pakistan when police alleged he encouraged mob violence.
How a 2023 political flashpoint still shapes cases today
The convictions trace back to the turmoil that followed Khan’s brief arrest in a graft case, which sparked clashes and vandalism across Pakistan, including attacks on military property, according to a Reuters account from May 2023.
As authorities widened investigations to online speech, rights and press groups warned the use of sedition and anti-terror laws risked chilling dissent. Al Jazeera reported in June 2023 that international and local organizations criticized cases filed against journalists and commentators accused of “abetting mutiny” and inciting attacks.
Anti-terrorism prosecutions linked to May 9 have continued since then. In July 2025, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore sentenced eight senior members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, to 10 years in prison in a separate May 9 case, Reuters reported.
For Adil Raja and the other six defendants, the Islamabad court orders authorize police to arrest them “upon availability,” and the defendants were told they have seven days to file an appeal in the Islamabad High Court. Whether Adil Raja ever faces the sentence in person may depend on legal challenges in higher courts — and on whether Pakistani authorities can secure their return.
