American filmmaker, Cynthia D Ritchie claims former Interior Minister Rehman Maliks of PPP raped her. Her shocking claims brought her in hot waters as she faced strong resistance from PPP leadership following her claims.
Cynthia claimed the top leadership of PPP raped and manhandled her in 2011. She blamed Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Health Minister Makhdom Shahabuddin, and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani. In her shocking accusations, she claimed that PPP’s former Interior Minister Rehman Malik sexually assaulted her.
RM should be asked about the night he invited me to his home in the minister's enclave to discuss my 'visa'. The flowers, the electronic device (unusual) gift & the drugged drinks he gave me.
Ask him if he remembers what I wore & what he said when he was on top of me. Bc I DO. https://t.co/DBijPIZnR7
— Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) June 6, 2020
She repeated her allegations in the Facebook live video. Moreover, she invited journalists to thoroughly investigate her assertions in the video. Cynthia D Ritchie elaborated her claims further on Twitter. She said the incident happened at the Interior Minister’s House in Minister’s Enclave in 2011. The incident happened around the operation of American forces against Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. Hence, she could not pursue her case.
1/ My story is deeply emotional. Even my family has not known until now. I've tried to be positive & promote the softer side of Pakistan but have also experienced the very bad. I wish to tell my truth one time so that women, transgenders, locals can understand they are not alone.
— Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) June 6, 2020
She said she went there for a meeting purported for her visa. But, in the meeting, she received flowers and was given a drugged drink. She said she kept quiet for days since she believed nobody would help her pursue the case against Rehman Malik from the PPP’s government.
Read more: Social media thrashes Marvi Sirmed on her stance against Cynthia Ritchie
She said she discussed the incident with someone in the USA Embassy in 2011. Yet, she could not receive much help due to the complex and fluid relations between the USA and Pakistan following the OBL incident.
Cynthia D Ritchie targets other PPP leaders
Cynthia said now she is engaged to a Pakistan man. Her fiance asked her to speak up about her harrowing experiences of sexual assault. She said that she does not intend to target only Pakistan People’s Party through her accusations. But that several politicians from other parties have sexually harassed her on various occasions.
Cynthia asserted that despite subjected to sexual assault several times in Pakistan, she continued to vouch for the country and supported it on her social media platforms.
Occurred at IM's house in min enclave 2011 around the OBL incident. I thought it a meeting about my visa but I was given flowers/ a drugged drink. I kept quiet – who in PPP gov't would help me against PPP IM?
Recently they attacked family; I've had it. Ready to face any accuser https://t.co/KkGSKTERQs
— Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) June 5, 2020
In a previous tweet, Cynthia D. Ritchie claimed the PPP government has threatened her severely. Besides claims of being raped, she made other harrowing accusations that of intimidation of her family, her accounts being hacked, property stolen, and receiving perverse audio messages.
I've endured sexual misconduct from #PPP ministers. Personal property- stolen. Accounts hacked. Family threatened. Perverse voice notes/messages.
You disrupted my world #PPP – now I'm returning the favour. With information the public should know.
What shall we discuss next?
— Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) June 4, 2020
She has been posting the screenshots of unknown men harassing her on social media. She threatened to ‘expose’ other PPP leaders with harrowing assertions if they continued to harass her.
Read more: Social media thrashes Marvi Sirmed on her stance against Cynthia Ritchie
Where did it all start?
Cynthia made a slanderous comment on the marital life of former PM Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari. While commenting on the controversy between model Uzma Khan and Malik Riaz’s daughter, Amna Malik. Amna Malik had accused Uzma Khan of having relations with her husband, Usman Malik.
Since then, PPP legislatures and Cynthia hurled abusive comments on social media. She claimed PPP has orchestrated the organized campaign of harassing her on social media. She then leaked objectionable pictures of PPP’s leaders with women. In her ferocious campaign to ‘expose’ PPP leadership, she has so far targeted Senator Sherry, Murtaza Wahab, Sharjeel Memon, Asif Ali Zardari. with many accusations of corruption, sexually assaulting women and intimidating ordinary people.
Meanwhile, social media users have demanded a profound investigation of her claims. Also, they have particularly demanded to probe Rehman Malik over sexual harassment allegations.
Cynthia D Ritchie-PPP spat
However, this is not her first altercation with PPP leadership. Earlier, she made shocking revelations on the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi. She linked the murder to the Benazir Bhutto’s daughter, Bakhtawar Bhutto.
She came in the crossfire for her explosive tweets against Asif Ali Zardari’s daughter and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders following the arrest of its chief Manzoor Pashteen.
Cynthia’s response to Aseefa Bhutto Zardari’s tweet condemning the arrest of Manzoor Pashteen triggered harsh tweets. PPP’s female leadership attacked her on Twitter.
In one of her responses to a Twitter user, she said, some reports say that the deceased Naqeebullah Mehsud was dating one of Zardari’s daughters. Adding that, “subsequent fallout was conflated with misdirection and ultimately attempts to malign the state.”
Her comments caused an immense backlash from PPP’s female leadership. Shazia Atta Mari, PPP’s parliamentarian and human rights activist, Marvi Sirmed blasted Cynthia D Ritchie for maligning Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari.
Read more: Gulalai played Pimp while Naqeeb dated Bakhtawar: Cynthia D Ritchie alleges
However, she maintained her stance against PPP and PTM. She even accused Gulalai Ismail, the exiled PTM leader of ‘running girls for men’. She said Ismail also provides abortion services to these girls.
Cynthia reasserted that there lies much more to PTM than the exploitation of human rights by the state. She called it a planned strategy of leading political parties to build anti-state rhetoric. This narrative touts PTI and people like her as ‘military mouthpieces’.