'The real plan is bigger': Ex-Pak Army official claims Asim Munir plotting power grab, anti-India escalation

But Raja insists this trial isn’t just about defamation; it’s about silencing dissent.

“It is a strategic lawsuit against public participation,” he said. “It is part of the lawfare launched against me by the Pakistani military establishment and its intelligence arm, the ISI.”

Raja accuses the ISI of exploiting the UK’s plaintiff-friendly libel laws to sue dissidents abroad. Quoting British King’s Counsel Geoffrey Robertson’s book Lawfare: How the Rich and the Government Try to Prevent Free Speech, Raja called London “the libel tourism capital of the world.”

The case comes after a nine-month UK counterterrorism investigation in 2023, during which Raja was arrested for a few hours and held on bail, only to be cleared of all charges. The Pakistani state had falsely accused him of inciting violence via online livestreams with dissenting Pakistani journalists.

“The UK police found nothing. I was cleared. But that didn’t stop my former institution,” Raja said. “They court-martialled me in absentia and sentenced me to 14 years in prison.”

Raja says the reprisals didn’t end with legal harassment. The Pakistani state allegedly targeted his family in retaliation.

“My mother was abducted. Her passports were cancelled. She’s under house arrest. My entire family’s nationalities and passports have been revoked, just because I’m speaking up,” he said. “What law are you talking about? There’s no law in Pakistan, except martial law.”

Raja’s claim that Pakistan’s military rulers operate with impunity echoes what many critics have long alleged: that the country’s democratic institutions are mere facades controlled by the army. He accuses the current Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and ISI chief Lt Gen Asim Malik of orchestrating a crackdown on dissent not just within Pakistan, but now in foreign jurisdictions as well.

“They’ve started serving me notices under libel laws, because they couldn’t silence me using terrorism laws. They’re trying their luck in UK courts,” he said.

When asked whether this is simply a civil case or something more sinister, Raja was unequivocal.

“It’s technically a civil case, but it’s a Pakistani crackdown on foreign soil,” he said, pointing to the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the UK, which passed a motion declaring the case a SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) designed to stifle journalistic scrutiny.

Raja also disclosed that his key witness in the case, Shahzad Akbar, suffered an acid attack in the UK -- an incident he believes is linked to the ISI.

“The threat is real,” he said. “I live at a police-protected address. I’m in hiding. I can’t move freely.”

One of the most alarming revelations from the interview was Raja’s assertion that the ISI’s legal assault on him is part of a broader political scheme allegedly orchestrated by General Asim Munir. According to Raja, the Army Chief is laying the groundwork to become Pakistan’s President while placing his own brother-in-law in the Prime Minister’s seat.

“The real plan is bigger -- creating chaos, attacking India, using war jingoism to justify an emergency and more control,” Raja warned. “The plan is allegedly by the Army Chief — putting his brother-in-law as PM, himself or another general as president, and launching a Musharraf-style ‘accountability’ push.”

He believes this is the military’s strategy to tighten its grip over the civilian government under the guise of reform and national security, even if it means manufacturing a conflict with India.

When asked how confident he felt about the upcoming trial, Raja said the outcome remains uncertain.

“It’s 50-50. There’s no jury. It’s all up to the judge. The ISI has hired top British legal chambers -- the same one Keir Starmer worked at. It’s a big machine.”

Despite the high stakes and overwhelming pressure, Raja said he remains determined to fight on, not for revenge, but for truth and democracy.

“I was groomed as a soldier. I took an oath to the people, not the generals. Pakistanis want democracy, their mandate respected, that’s what I’m fighting for,” he said.

When asked what would happen if there were an attempt on his life, Raja did not mince words.

“The Pakistani military establishment. The Army Chief Asim Munir. The DG ISI, Asim Malik. Major General Faisal Nasir. Brigadier Rashid Nasir. They are behind the threats,” he said. “The only reason they haven’t got to me is because I’m careful, trained, and protected by British police.”

In perhaps the most poignant moment of the interview, Raja reflected on what drives him, despite the immense cost.

“My nation is my life. I’ll fight for it. Peace is the only way forward, peace can make South Asia the richest region again, like before colonisation.”