US Blogger Cynthia Ritchie Accuses Rehman Malik Of Rape

Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Rehman Malik and former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani have rejected her allegations, questioning her stay and purpose of visit to Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-June 6^th, 2020) Pakistan-based-US blogger Cynthia D. Ritchie accused PPP leader and former Interior Minister Rehman Malik of raping her besides serious allegations against other leaders of the party.

In a video message on her Facebook page, Cynthia D. Ritchie said that she was raped by former Interior Minister Rehman Malik while former federal minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin and former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani physically manhandled her.

“In 2011, I was raped by the former interior minister Rehman Malik. That’s right, I’ll say it again. I was raped by the then interior minister Rehman Malik,” said Cynthia in her live video on Facebook page. She said Gillani was staying at the President’s house at that time.

However, Rehman Malik had strongly denied the charges against him while Yousaf Raza Gillanis also denied the allegations, saying that it did not suit him responding to her allegations.

Cynthia claimed that she had graphics but was not sharing the same as the audience could include children but announced that she would love to go into more details if neutral investigative journalists approached her.

The blogger, with more than 200,000 followers on Twitter, receive huge response whenever she shares or tweets anything.

In a tweet, the blogger also accused former President Asif Ali Zardari of serious allegations, saying that she was receiving threats. She said PPP leaders knew that they raped/assaulted her for years.

“There are men in the high ranks of the PPP who raped her and assaulted and they don’t want the world to know,” she tweeted.

Talking about Malik Rehman, she said that the alleged assault took place at Malik’s house in the Ministers’ Enclave at the time when raid was conducted to kill Osama Bin Laden.

“I thought it was a meeting about my visa but I was given flowers/a drugged drink, the blogger wrote, adding that she kept quiet" thinking no one in the then PPP government would help her,”

She further said: “Recently they (PPP members) attacked family; I've had it. Ready to face any accuser,” pointing out that she was now engaged to a man whom she met in Pakistan, and it was him who encouraged her “to speak out, so we can move on as a couple,”.

She further alleged that she faced harassment “primarily from the PPP” for a number of years now. “ I have received countless threats against my life, rape threats, claims that PPP has my father,” Cynthia said, claiming that she had “evidentiary support” of everything she has been posting.

Ritchie stated that she had informed about the incident to “someone” at the US Embassy in 2011, but due to fluid situation and complex relations between US and Pakistan, the response was less than adequate.

On other hand, PPP moved a complaint last week with the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing against Ritchie for posting on her Twitter account what it described as derogatory and slanderous remarks about Benazir Bhutto. PPP’s district president in Islamabad Advocate Shakeel Abbasi filed the petition.

PPP leadership rejected the allegations leveled against them by US blogger Cynthia.

Former PM Yousaf Raza Gillan said that it was humiliating and disgraceful even to respond to the allegations of Cynthia. Talking to a tv, he said that what Richie was doing at the Presidency when she was allegedly manhandled, and why she had been staying in Pakistan.

“She came here in Pakistan to malign politicians,” said the former Prime Minister, pointing out that who gave them the right to malign the politicians.

“Whether a person of Prime Minister’s stature could do such an act at the Presidency,” asked Gillani while responding to question about the allegations of the US blogger.

“She is accusing him just because my sons had filed defamation suit against her for her allegedly defamatory tweet about Bhutto,” he further said.

She responded to his statement through her recent tweet:

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In another tweet, she responded former PM that she would not allow anyone to touch her as they touched Sherry Rehman.

Rehman Malik said that he respected Richie for being a woman and rejected her allegations.

“All the allegations are false and have no base,” said the spokesperson of Rehman Malik, adding that she just wanted to damage Rehman’s political stature. She was working for some group or persons. The Spokesperson said that Malik respected Ritchie and all women and would not respond to the allegations leveled against them.

Cynthia responded to his reply by urging Prime Minister Imran Khan to ask him (Rehman Malik) question as to why he called her to her house.

“Malik always stood for women’ rights,” said the Spokesperson.

Rehman Malik is currently serving as Chairman of the Senate Standing committee on Interior.