PPP reports American blogger over ‘derogatory’ comments on Benazir Bhutto

Workers of the Pakistan People’s Party across Pakistan have filed complaints with the Federal Investigation Agency against American blogger Cynthia D Ritchie for passing “derogatory” comments against former prime minister and party chairperson Benazir Bhutto on Twitter.

A letter was written to FIA’s Islamabad office by PPP District President Advocate Shakeel Abbasi, urging the agency to take action against Ritchie.

The letter, dated May 28, 2020, called the blogger’s remarks “extremely derogatory and slanderous”.

“Her remarks being false, untrue, defamating and slanderous as they are, have caused immense pain and agony to the millions across Pakistan who revere and hold Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in high esteem,” it read.

Another request has been sent to FIA Lahore by Faisal Mir, a party worker. He mentioned that Ritchie’s tweets have “not only attacked the Federation of Pakistan but also hurt millions of Pakistanis”.

The agency has been requested to take legal action against Ritchie.

An FIR has also been registered against the blogger at Islamabad’s Kohsar police station by the capital’s PPP President Shahzada Iftikhar Uddin. He demanded that Ritchie, a resident of Islamabad’s F-7, should be immediately punished.

According to PPP media cell worker Usman Ghazi, party workers across the country have decided to file FIRs at their respective police stations. “Our workers in Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Punjab and Karachi are outraged at the comments and have decided to report Ritchie,” he told SAMAA Digital.

Ghazi said that the issue was not just limited to PPP but has irked the entire country as Benazir Bhutto was an inspiration for many. “You can see that the civil society has reacted against the remarks,” he pointed.

“People are complaining that she (Ritchie) has defamed the first female prime minister of the country, so this is a very big thing for the country as a whole,” Ghazi said.

He added party members were taking action in their individual capacities. “But no directives have been passed on an official party level regarding the issue so far.”

Ghazi told SAMAA Digital that so far these are the applications registered across the country:

• Ch Latif Akbar at Saddar police station, Muzaffarabad Azad Jammu and Kashmir
• Ch Pervaiz Ashraf at Bhimber police station
• Rawalakote PPP President Abshar Kiafat at Rawalakote police station
• Kotli PPP President Pervaiz Akbar President Distt Kotli at Kotli City police station
• Muzaffarabad PPP President Bazal Ali Naqvi at Muzaffarabad police station
• Javaid Ayub at Kahori police station, Muzaffarabad
• Pervaiz Mughal at Kahori police station, Muzaffarabad
• Bhimber PPP President Waleed Ashraf at Bhimber police station
• Shugufta Naureen Kazmi at Secretariat Muzaffarabad police station

Ritchie had insulted Benazir and cast aspersions on her character. She called out Asif Ali Zardari and accused him of adultery. Her tweets went viral on Twitter after which a campaign has begun against her on the social media app.