Interior secretary makes startling revelations about Cynthia Richie’s visa

The Federal Secretary for Interior Ministry Yousaf Naseem Khokhar has made startling revelations regarding the US blogger Cynthia Richie in his written reply submitted to the Islamabad High Court, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The Interior Ministry has ordered American blogger Cynthia to leave Pakistan within 15 days after rejecting her request for an extension in her visa.

Earlier, the Interior Ministry has submitted a written reply before the Islamabad High Court on a petition moved by a lawyer belonged to PPP seeking directives for it to deport the American blogger.

According to Interior secretary, the Interior Ministry had twice extended the visa of the American blogger against the law. On both occasions, Cynthia had applied for the extension in the Work Visa instead of the Business Visa.

The interior secretary said that issuing a Business Visa was a blatant violation of the Visa Policy Rules.

In his writer reply, Khokhar said Cynthia had been applying for the Work Visa but she always got a Business Visa instead against all rules. “She even submitted the supporting documents related to the Work Visa but the interior ministry continued to issue Business Visa,” he revealed.

The interior secretary also said that Cynthia Richie’s company for which she was working with other Pakistani companies was not even registered in Pakistan.

He also recommended refraining Cynthia Richie from giving such statements that affect the basic rights of the Pakistani citizens.

Cynthia Ritchie is in spotlight since May this year when in a live video broadcast on Facebook, she hurled allegations of harassment and rape against senior PPP leaders. 

She alleged that that senior PPP leader Rehman Malik had raped her while two others had "manhandled" her on a separate occasion. She had stated that the incidents occurred in 2011 when the PPP was in power, and when the individual she accused of rape had been a senior minister.

Ritchie had further alleged that two other senior party leaders — a federal minister and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani — had "physically manhandled" her when the latter "was staying at the President House".

Reacting to the Interior Ministry’s decision, Cynthia Ritchie in her tweets on Wednesday said that she was denied visa for the first time since her 10 years long stay in Pakistan. She said that the Ministry of Interior was under pressure and the reason was best known to them.