Zubair Qureshi
The Ministry of Interior on Wednesday rejected the US blogger Cynthia D. Ritchie’s request for visa extension and directed her to leave the country within 15 days.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had on July 10 asked the Interior Ministry to decide on a petition filed by a PPP leader, seeking deportation of the US blogger after she was accused by the party of making derogatory remarks about former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
On Tuesday, while taking up the matter Chief Justice Athar Minallah read out a recent order of the interior ministry noting that the Interior secretary himself was not aware of the policy of the ministry in such matters. The secretary had not made reference to any law or policy and appeared to have solely relied on the statement of Ms Ritchie, had observed Justice Minallah.
The order is self-contradictory and in conflict with the previous order, the IHC chief justice had observed.
