ISLAMABAD - Pakistani People’s Party senior leader Senator Rehman Malik yesterday served a Rs 500 million defamation notice to US Citizen Cynthia D. Ritchie over “false, frivolous and baseless allegation” of rape against him through his lawyer Chaudhry Abdur Rehman Bajwa.
Senator Malik, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior and former Interior Minister, has strongly rejected all allegations against him and has termed those a pack of lies to damage his national and international reputation.
He said that he was fighting for the honour and respect of his leader Benazir Bhutto who sacrificed her life for the nation and he can face such kinds of hundreds of false and fabricated allegations in this fight.
The PPP leader said that he had been continuously receiving life threats and arrest for his vocal statements against the government but the opponents must know that he is never afraid of jails as he has already seen even the death cells. He said: “When my opponents found nothing against me they began my character assassination”.
Senator Malik said that “my conscience is clear and on time, he will be exposing the conspirators behind Benazir Bhutto and his character assassination and will show them the mirror.”
He said that he had no personal enmity with the friendly country US national namely Cynthia Dawn Ritchie and he respects all women that is why he shall not use any counter remarks against her. He said that however time will tell whether she projected the soft image of Pakistan or not.
The legal notice said that “my client is a renowned politician. He is a thorough gentleman and a respectable citizen of Pakistan. He enjoys international fame and has been working in national interest at many top assignments. He also served Interior Minister of Pakistan. Presently, he is the Chairman of Senate Standing Committee for Interior,”
It added: “That my client vividly remembers that you approached my client in his office in Ministry of Interior, in the company of daughter of Mr. Azam Khan Swati, the then Minister with a request for extension of your Visa which was earlier issued to you by Pakistan Embassy in the US.”
“That your request was forwarded in routine by my client to the then Secretary Ministry of Interior, who after completion of all the codal and procedural formalities extended your Visa,” it said. It says: “That barring the above, any other meeting regarding your visa with my client is out of question.”
The notice said “it was recently noticed by my client that all of a sudden you emerged on the social media scene and began a smearing campaign against late Ms. Behazir Bhutto, Ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan as well as Pakistan Peoples Party, in the last few days while issuing and posting some untrue, concocted, objectionable, derogatory, immoral, indecent and defamatory content and remarks on Whatsapp, Youtube and Twitter etc.”
It said: “My client soon discovered that the above video message (accusing Senator Malik of rose) was made viral by you on social media, print media and televised electronically at the national and international level.”
Therefore, it says, “my client is constrained to demand from you as token damages, an amount of Rupees Five Hundred Million in addition to prompt withdrawal of the above said allegation in the same manner in which it was released and posted on social, print and electronic media, within fifteen days of receipt of this legal notice besides an unqualified apology from you in this regard.”
The notice said in case of non-adherence, “my client will resort to civil and criminal proceedings against you through the courts of competent jurisdiction and in that eventuality you would be solely responsible for all costs and consequences including damages to the tune of Rupees Five Billion which my client may demand by way of damages from the relevant forum of law.”