Cynthia Ritchie’s Rape Accusations Against Rehman Malik Are Baseless: Police

The end?

American blogger Cynthia Ritchie’s petition against Senator Rehman Malik where she was seeking registration of a rape case against him has been dismissed. This comes after a police report termed the complaint baseless.

According to the police report in question, Ms Ritchie had failed to produce any evidence to corroborate the rape allegation in 2011 and had also been unable to place any material on record to show she had been harassed. 

When Nasir Javed Rana – additional district and sessions judge – heard Ms Ritchie’s petition, her counsel Imran Feroz Malik argued that the police had refused to register an FIR against Mr Malik on her complaint. 

Ms Ritchie had first filed her application with the secretariat police on June 17, in which she had accused Mr Malik of raping her at his residence in 2011. She further brought former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani into the mix as well. She accused Mr Gilani of employing the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) media cell to use social media to intimidate, threaten, harass, and defame the blogger. 

The police was asked by the court to submit a report on the matter following her petition. The police report in question was submitted stating that Ms Ritchie had not filed any complaint regarding her rape allegations with the police station.

They further maintained that no medical report had been attached either, which according to them would act as evidence to prove she had been assaulted. In light of this report, its finding found her case doubtful and considered there to be inadequate registration for an FIR 

At the same time, Senator Malik’s petition seeking registration of a defamation case against Ms Ritchie was also dismissed. The defamation notice had demanded Ms. Ritchie pay Rs.500 million in damages, and ‘promptly’ withdraw the allegation “in the same manner in which it was released and posted on social, print and electronic media” within 15 days of receiving the notice, as well as an “unqualified apology”

Due to non-prosecution of the case, the petition for defamation was also dismissed. This comes after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cybercrime wing was ordered to book Ms Ritchie following an outcry against her allegedly defamatory tweet against former PM Benazir Bhutto. The order came after a petition filed by PPP district president Raja Shakeel Abbasi.


ALSO READ

Rehman Malik Sends Defamation Notice to Cynthia Ritchie For the Third Time