Cynthia Ritchie files caveat with Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD: US blogger Cynthia D. Ritchie Friday visited the Supreme Court along with her counsel Saiful Malook to file a caveat in the matter pertaining to the appeal of PPP leader Senator Abdur Rehman Malik.

Malik had the other day requested the apex court to set aside an Islamabad High Court order allowing a writ petition by Ms Ritchie. He had prayed the apex court to grant leave to appeal under Article 185(3) of the Constitution against the impugned order of IHC dated September 1.

He also prayed the apex court to restore the order passed by the Justice of Peace. Malik submitted that even if the respondent’s allegation that he pulled her pants down to make her partially naked was presumed to be correct, it did not make out a case for rape, as necessary ingredients to constitute the offence of rape were absolutely missing in the complaint and no improvement could be made subsequently.

“Hence the Islamabad High Court fell in error by not appreciating that the only allegations leveled by the respondent was that he pulled down her pants to make her partially naked,” Malik contended.

Talking to reporters outside the Supreme Court, Ms Ritchie said she came to get justice and hired the services of advocate Saiful Malook. Mr. Malook had also represented Aasia Bibi convicted in a blasphemy case in 2010.

The US blogger said she had registered the complaint on the eve of incident adding that she did not work in any organization in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Senator Rehman Malik has lodged a complaint with Aabpara Police Station for registration of an FIR against Cynthia D. Richie for her ‘fake, frivolous and highly defamatory allegations of rape’.