Cynthia Working On ISPR & KP Govt Projects, Court Told

via https://youtu.be/oS1hUqflOAo ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior has informed the Islamabad High Court that US blogger Cynthia D. Ritchie is living in Pakistan on an "extended" visa and Cynthia D. Ritchie is working on film projects in collaboration with the military’s media affairs wing Inter-Services Public Relations and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. The Ministry in its report submitted to the IHC on Friday stated that Ms Ritchie "informed in her application that she had been working with Walkabout Films in collaboration with ISPR and the KPK Government on various film projects in the country. She also attached a letter no. 01/IAAD/2018 dated 27.12.2018 from ISPR stating that Walkabout Films Private Limited is undertaking various projects in collaboration with ISPR and she is working with Walkabout Films on some projects Additional Attorney General Tariq Mehmood Khokhar submitted that Ms Ritchie’s visa stood extended till August 31 and she had not committed any illegality or any undesirable or anti-state activity as alleged. The court adjourned the hearing till next week for final arguments on the petition of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) activist Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed, who had challenged her long stay in Pakistan after the expiry of her business visa in March and alleged involvement in a media campaign against leaders of the opposition party. According to the petition, her business visa expired on March 2, 2020 and she was not entitled to stay in Pakistan afterwards. The business via had been granted on March 18, 2019 without fulfilling the legal formalities, the petitioner alleged, adding that she also misstated information in her visa extension application submitted to the Ministry of Interior after the expiry of her business visa in March. Cynthia D. Ritchie denied all the allegations against her, she stated that her visa expired on March 2, 2020 and she submitted an application before the date of expiry. However, due to Covid-19 situation, no extensions were being processed and all foreigners were granted extension, therefore, she was still staying in Pakistan under a valid visa as extended by the Ministry of Interior.