Rehman Malik rubbishes US blogger’s rape claims

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Senator Abdul Rehman Malik had strongly rejected sexual assault allegations by a Pakistan-based US blogger, said a spokesperson for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader, here on Saturday.

Senator Malik considered it an insult to respond to Cynthia Dawn Ritchie’s “completely baseless and obscene” claims against him, said the spokesperson. “The allegations are based on dishonesty to damage Rehman Malik’s repute. Cynthia Dawn Ritchie has given such statement over provocation by some individual or group,” he maintained.

According to the spokesperson, Malik had always raised a voice for the rights and honour of women and he would continue to do so. As Malik respects Ritchie and all women he would not respond to the allegations with any foul words.

The spokesperson pointed out the allegations had come at a time when Malik as the chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior took notice of Ritchie’s tweet against Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. He said Malik’s sons had independently contacted their lawyers to see what legal action could be taken against Ritchie.

Ritchie, who resides in Pakistan, accused Senator Malik of sexually assaulting her as interior minister in 2011. She also claimed former health minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin and former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani physically manhandled her. She said Gillani manhandled her while he was staying at the President House.

Responding to the allegations in an interview with a private TV channel, Gillani said that woman had also made peculiar allegations against Benazir Bhutto. He said Ali Haider Gillani and Ali Qasim had gone to court on the issue. He claimed Ritchie was maligning him because his two sons had filed a defamation case against her for her allegedly defamatory tweet against Bhutto.