Cynthia serves legal notice to Gilani

Claims Rs120 million in damages

ISLAMABAD: US blogger Cynthia D Ritchie on Thursday served a legal notice on former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, demanding Rs120 million in damages for tarnishing her reputation at both national and international levels.

On Wednesday, the former prime minister sent a legal notice to Cynthia, seeking Rs100 million in damages, an apology and denying that he met her when he was the premier.

In a live video posted on her Facebook page, Cynthia has accused Gilani of physically manhandling her and Senator Rehman Malik of raping her.



The legal notice, served to the former PM through her counsel, Nasir Azeem Khan Advocate, also demanded “an apology with a written reply within 14 days of receipt of this legal notice”.

The notice – a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune – stated that in 2011, Gilani harassed Cynthia with the connivance of Malik, who was at that time the interior minister, “using the position being a ruler party, wherein damaging the respect and personality of my client and now you are harassing and defaming her through social media cell of the PPPP and different trolls you hired for this purpose, you are completely responsible for such acts which are continuously threatening and defaming my client”.



It stated, “Due to levelling, publication and circulation” of these “false, frivolous and baseless allegations, the reputation of my client has adversely suffered both at national and international levels. She has the right to redeem her position”.

It also stated that in case of “non-adherence to the instant legal notice, my client will resort to civil and criminal proceedings or any other all legal forum available in Pakistan would initiate against you through the courts of competent jurisdiction and in that eventually you would be solely responsible for all costs and consequences, including damages to the tune of which my client may demand by way of damages from the relevant legal forum of law”.