she would be "happy to go into more detail"
US blogger Cynthia Ritchie has accused Pakistani minister Rehman Malik of rape.
On June 5, 2020, she alleged that she was raped by him in 2011. Cynthia also said that she was assaulted by two other senior members of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
In a Facebook live video, the Islamabad-based American said that she was attacked by the former Interior Minister at his home in 2011, leaving social media users stunned.
Cynthia alleged: “In 2011, I was raped by the former Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
“That’s right, I’ll say it again. I was raped by the then Interior Minister Rehman Malik.”
She went on to say that she was raped at his home after her drink was laced with an unknown drug.
The US blogger also accused former Federal Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin and ex-Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani of “physically manhandling” her while Gilani was staying at the “President’s house”.
Gilani denied the allegations and said that he will take action against Cynthia for her “defamatory” comments.
He explained that she made the accusations after his sons took action against her for her defamatory posts against the late Bezanir Bhutto.
Malik also denied the allegations but said he respected the US blogger and would not go to court to clear his name.
Cynthia said that she had not spoken about “some of the more graphic details” because her audience may include children but went on to say that she would be “happy to go into more detail” with neutral investigative journalists.
She revealed that she was engaged to a Pakistani national and it was he who encouraged her to speak out so “we can move on as a couple”.
The accused have denied the allegations and have even threatened legal action but Cynthia said that she would name many more senior politicians.
While many social media activists sided with the American national, many have questioned her allegations and length of time that has passed between the alleged crimes and accusations.
However, in one of her Tweets, Cynthia said that she had informed US Embassy officials in Islamabad about the sex assault in 2011 but the “response was less than adequate”.
Some social media users also believe that her accusations are at someone’s behest to malign the PPP, who are already under pressure.
Pakistani TV host Ali Saleem had revealed that Cynthia was once very close with him and had confided in him.
According to Ali, the blogger said that Imran Khan had talked to her about wanting to have sex with her. However, he said that she never mentioned anything about being raped by Malik.
He said: “If she was close enough with me to discuss Imran Khan’s offer to have sex, she could also have talked about the rape she had gone through at the hands of former interior minister. But she didn’t.”
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