The Interior Ministry has rejected US blogger Cynthia Richie's visa extension request and ordered her to leave Pakistan within 15 days.
Radio Pakistan reported that the Interior Ministry had rejected the US citizen's request for an extension of his visa and directed him to leave Pakistan within 15 days.
In addition, American blogger Cynthia Richie herself confirmed the news in a tweet on the social networking site Twitter, saying: "The Interior Ministry, who may have come under pressure from what they themselves know better, in the last 10 years. Rejected my visa extension for the first time.
The MoI -under pressure best known to them- has for the first time, in my over 10+ years in Pakistan, rejected my Visa application. No reason has been given. We have a right to file an appeal & will do so. A higher forum must entertain my application & upon merits grant visa.
She added in the tweet that no reason was given in this regard.
"We have the right to appeal this decision or I have to go," she added, urging higher authorities to look into her application and extend her visa on merit.
On the other hand, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in its report quoted an official of the Ministry of Home Affairs as saying that the request for extension of the visa period of the American citizen was rejected by the Home Secretary.
The report further said that a committee headed by the Additional Secretary was constituted on Cynthia de Richie's visa extension request and after reviewing the application, recommended that the visa should not be extended.
Islamabad High Court hears petition against Cynthia Richie
Yesterday in the Islamabad High Court, Chief Justice Athar Minallah had heard the petition of American blogger Cynthia de Richie to file a case against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Senator Rehman Malik.
After the hearing, the court had ordered to hear the application of Cynthia Richie's registration case against Rehman Malik back in the trial court.
During the hearing on the petition of Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed, Chief Justice Athar Minallah had quoted Cynthia Richie as saying that she had earlier said in her reply that she was working with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government. ۔
In her remarks, she said that she was now saying that she was not working with any organization.
On this occasion, the Deputy Attorney General said that Cynthia Richie was issued a visa for 30 days from Chicago on September 13, 2017, on which lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa said that Cynthia Richie has no visa to date.
The Chief Justice said that if anyone from any other country of the world came, he would do whatever he wanted. If Cynthia made a statement against the present Prime Minister, the Home Ministry would not do anything.
Asked by the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said, "Read what kind of order you have written, what is the law of business visa, to which he replied that I do not have a law book yet."
Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that the Interior Ministry has exposed itself through its actions. You yourself are believing that business visa is a violation of the law. The Interior Ministry does not even know the law. This is an alarm bell.
"I am the deputy secretary and I do not have the relevant law book yet," the interior ministry spokesman said.
The Chief Justice asked the Deputy Secretary what the state of Pakistan should do if any foreigner wanted to come.
Islamabad High Court adjourned the case till September 22.
Later in a written order, Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that Deputy Home Secretary Falak Sher appeared before the court but could not answer the relevant questions and did not cite any law and relied only on Cynthia Richie's statement. ۔
The Chief Justice termed the Home Ministry's statement as contrary to the previous order and said that the Secretary had admitted in a recent statement that the work visa given to Santhiarchi in the past was in violation of the rules.
Referring to the Home Secretary's statement in the written order, he said that he himself admits that a person coming to Pakistan on a work visa cannot make political statements about people holding public office, including the Prime Minister, and that he was detained for doing so. Can be deported and deported.
Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that the orders issued by the secretary raise serious questions.
He said that apparently the ministry was either not aware of the law and policy or the laws were being ignored in the said case while the application of the law should be non-discriminatory.
It may be recalled that PPP activist Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed had taken a stand in his petition that Cynthia Richie is a foreign national and resides in Pakistan without a proper visa so she should be deported.
The petitioner said that the visa of the American blogger has expired and so far the concerned authorities are not taking legal action against him.
In court, she argued that Cynthia Richie was not a registered voter, but she was allowed to interfere in political affairs and make comments.
The petition further said that they were being facilitated by the political leadership of the country to tarnish the image of the country through false statements and allegations.
In court, the petitioner's counsel argued that Cynthia Richie's activities violated the terms and conditions of the visa issued to her.
He added that the relevant authorities, including the Interior Ministry, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the police, were refusing to act in accordance with the law.
The court issued notice to the parties and directed the Home Secretary to nominate a Home Secretary to appear before the court to explain whether Cynthia Richie's visa had expired and if so, if so. What action should be taken according to the law?
In addition, the competent officer should inform the court on what terms and conditions the visa was issued to the foreign national, which allowed him to make statements of a political nature as alleged by the petitioner.
Cynthia Richie controversy
It is believed that American blogger Cynthia Richie has been living in Pakistan for a long time, but a few months ago, after an "inappropriate" tweet about former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her differences with the PPP came to light.
The PPP leaders approached the court to file a case against him, from where the authorities were ordered to take legal action against the American blogger. They moved the Islamabad High Court to stop the action. The petition was filed but it was rejected.
The second and most important case was the accusation by Cynthia Richie of raping former interior minister Rehman Malik and raping two other PPP leaders.
Former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Rehman Malik had sent defamation notices to the American blogger on the allegations.
