The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday extended the stay of self-proclaimed US blogger Cynthia Ritchie till November 13, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Justice Athar Minallah was hearing the plea of the American blogger challenging her deportation by the Ministry of Interior (MOI). The court has suspended the notification and directed her lawyers to submit their arguments in the next hearing on November 13.
Cynthia’s lawyer requested the IHC CJ to set the date of next hearing on Friday (November 13) because Friday is a good day.
Chief Justice Athar Minallah also heard senior PPP leader and former interior minister Rehman Malik’s application on the registration of a case against Ritchie for ‘maligning’ him. The court also issued notices to Cynthia Ritchie in the case that was received by her lawyer Ahmad Raza Khan Kasuri.
The TV channel reported that Cynthia Ritchie had accused Rehman Malik of raping her, and former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Makhdoom Shahabuddin of manhandling her in 2011. The accusation has been denied by the PPP leaders.
In early September, Cynthia Ritchie had moved the Islamabad High Court against the rejection of her application regarding extending visa and the orders to leave the country within 15 days. She argued that the application for visa extension had been rejected despite fulfilling all the legal requirements. The government orders were a violation of general clause act and visa policy, she maintained.
Earlier, the interior ministry had rejected her visa extension application with a directive to leave the country within 15 days.