Police too refuse to register case against Cynthia Ritchie

After the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Islamabad Police too refused to register a case against American national Cynthia Ritchie but shifted the responsibility back to the country’s top crime investigating agency, saying the matter fell in its domain.

According to 24NewsHD TV channel, the Banigala Police Station officials told a local court on Friday that the application for registering the case should be disposed of. It had been revealed after reading the application filed by Waqas Ahmed Abbasi on June 1 that the issue was related the Cybercrime Wing of FIA, the police argued.

Earlier, Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry heard the petition, seeking registration of case against Cynthia, as she asked the police file a response.

As the police argued that the issue was related to the FIA Cybercrime Wing, the court sought a detailed reply from the police.

The police had stated in the reply that the allegation [against the slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto] was levelled on social media, which did not fall under their authority.

However, the petitioner’s counsel, Chaudhry Zahid Asif, rejected the explanation and argued before the court that the Pakistan Penal Code sections were applicable to the application. The police could register the case but were only fabricating excuses, he added.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing till June 17 as it sought a detailed reply from the police on the issue.

Cynthia Dawn Ritchie had taken Pakistan’s political scene by storm as her ‘revelations’ have put Pakistan People’s Party’s leadership in an embarrassing situation.

The allegations of rape and sexual harassment against the PPP top brass by a foreign woman is a bit unusual and if Cynthia got support from the famous ‘Me Too’ campaign around the world, it would be very difficult for many big names to survive.