FIA requests court to dismiss plea against Cynthia

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Tuesday requested the court to dismiss a plea against US blogger Cynthia Ritchie for her slanderous tweets about former prime minister Benazir Bhutto contending that the petitioner, PPP Islamabad President Shakil Abbasi, was not an affected party.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (ASJ) Atta Rabbani issued a notice to Cynthia seeking her response by June 13.

Atta Rabbani heard the case as duty judge.

The petitioner said the FIA was not taking action on a complaint filed against Ritchie for slandering slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto on the social media.

The FIA argued that according to its rules, only the aggrieved party – the targeted victim or their guardian – could lodge such complaint with the agency.

The court also issued a notice to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), seeking its reply on the matter by June 13.

The judge also accepted PTA’s appeal seeking more time to submit its reply, which was earlier sought by the court.

Director General Law PTA told the court that the authority had not received the notice earlier. He told the court that he appeared before the court after coming across media reports on the matter.

The court told him that he would have to file a reply, as the PTA was a respondent in the petition.

Speaking to the media, the counsel for the petitioner said the FIA had agreed to register a case against Ms Ritchie.

The court said they also issued notices to the US blogger and demanded an answer to her allegations against the slain PPP leader.

Ritchie’s tweet about the late Benazir had prompted a war of words between her and the PPP’s supporters and party leaders on the social media a few days ago.

On Friday, she made headlines after an explosive statement in which she accused former interior minister Rehman Malik of raping her in 2011.

She also accused former federal minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin and ex-prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of manhandling her when Gilani was staying at the President’s House and the PPP was in power.

On the other hand, the American citizen has also hired a lawyer to file a response on her behalf with the court.

“Cynthia D. Richie has appointed me as her lawyer,” Nasir Azeem Khan Advocate said.

“I will appear on her behalf in the court on June 13.”

Khan said a power of attorney would be submitted to the court at the next hearing.

Meanwhile, Cynthia said: “My actions on social media don’t fall within ambit of cyber crimes. I have the right to express my opinion. “My lawyer, Nasir Azeem Khan, Advocate High Court will appear in Islamabad District Court on given date.”

Meanwhile, the contents of a letter Ritchie had written to the FIA — after a complaint was filed against her by the PPP — emerged a few days later.

“I am a freelancer and pay taxes to FBR and report my income to IRS in USA. I am not on government payroll. I take projects (such as KP Dept of Archaeology/Engro/and some cleared NGOS) as matters of personal and professional interest,” she wrote, adding that she has been in Pakistan for “10+ years”. She said she had been working on an “investigative film”.

“To be fair, I’ve wanted to do a documentary on Bilawal as a potential future leader. I have no interest in fighting PPP,” Ritchie said.

Senator Rehman Malik, meanwhile, through his lawyers served another defamation notice of Rs50 billion to US Citizen Cynthia D. Ritchie over false, frivolous and baseless allegation of rape against him in talk shows on different private television channels.Rehman Malik has strongly rejected all allegations against him and has termed those a pack of lies to damage his national and international reputation which he has earned after tireless struggle for decades as investigator, politician, parliamentarian, former interior minister and author of three books and hundreds of articles published in national and international media.

Rehman Malik expressed that running of such highly defamatory interviews on private TV channels are against the Pemra rules and our national ethics particularly in once absence. He has asked the television channels to refrain from telecasting defamatory interviews and news against him.