American Cynthia Ritchie files case against former Pak PM Gilani

Deciding to take no prisoners, American adventurist and blogger Cynthia Dawn Ritchie has upped the ante in her battle against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and its standard bearers.

After being in a downright nasty slanging match with PPP top guns, she has now filed a legal case against former Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani for Rs 120 million, in which she has threatened to take legal action against him if he failed to tender an apology.

Ritchie sent the notice through her counsel Nasir Azeem Khan Advocate in which she stated that Gilani had harassed her and damaged her reputation by making false accusations.

She alleged that the former Prime Minister had harassed her in collusion with ex-Interior Minister Rehman Malik in 2011. The legal notice accused the PPP media cell of harassing Ritchie on social media as well.

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<em>Dawn</em> reported that "saying that she was defamed locally and internationally, the US blogger called on Gilani to apologise to her. Ritchie warned that in case the PPP leader did not apologise for levelling allegations against her within 14 days, she would initiate legal action against him".

The Ritchie-PPP dog fight has acquired a life force of its own with both sides trading barbs at each other. It is said that Prime Minister Imran Khan and the ISI are using her as a stalking horse to create consternation within the PPP, as she regularly blows the lid on the shenanigans of the party top brass.

Ritchie's tit-for-tat comes after Gilani had initiated similar legal action for Rs 100 million.

Gilani had on Wednesday sent a legal notice to Ritchie, asking for an apology and withdrawal of the "false" and "frivolous" allegation that he "physically manhandled" her.

This was revealed by the ex-premier's sons – Ali Haider and Kasim – on Twitter. The legal notice, a copy of which was shared by Kasim on his Twitter handle, accused Ritchie of levelling "false, frivolous, baseless and vexatious" allegations against the former Prime Minister..