Naqeebullah Mehsud dated Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari: Alleges Cynthia D Ritchie

Cynthia D Ritchie, an American communication specialist living in Pakistan, came in the crossfire for her explosive tweets against Asif Ali Zardari’s daughter and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders following the arrest of its chief Manzoor Pashteen.

Cynthia’s response to the tweet of Aseefa Bhutto Zardari condemning the arrest of Manzoor Pashteen set in motion the exchange of boorish tweets between her and PPP’s female leadership on Twitter.

Another social media user jumped in the Twitter conversation and asked to probe the Pakistan People’s Party for the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud that triggered the Pashtun mobilization movement under the banner of PTM.

Her comments generated an immense backlash from PPP’s female leadership and its advocates. Shazia Atta Mari, PPP’s parliamentarian and human rights activist, Marvi Sirmed tongue-lashed Cynthia D Ritchie for maligning Bakhtawat Bhutto Zardari.

She, however, said that as per reports and perhaps being a member of a liberal democratic party, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari is free to date/see any man. Several social media users endorsed Cynthia’s comment and claimed the reports true.

Despite the backlash, Cynthia D Ritchie posted a series of tweets to clarify her previous statements. She claimed that she is severely abused by PML-N and PPP on Twitter for confronting pro-PTM rhetoric on the platform.

Cynthia reasserted that there lies much more to PTM than the exploitation of human rights by the state. Adding that this seems to be a planned strategy to build anti-state rhetoric by major political parties to tout PTI and people like her as ‘military mouthpieces’

She claimed that her previous tweet was not meant to hurt Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari but wanted investigative journalists to examine the issue of PTM from another outlook except for human rights abuse only.

She sought the advice of her Twitter followers on whether should she apologize to Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari in person. She added that she is not an advocate of any single party in Pakistan.

But Cynthia maintained her tough stance against PPP and PTM and continued stirred another controversy when she accused Gulalai Ismail, the exiled PTM leader of ‘running girls for men’ and providing abortion services.

She said that the amount of extensive ‘venomous’ backlash on her tweets vindicate how they mistreat people.

Cynthia reasserted that there lies much more to PTM than the exploitation of human rights by the state. Adding that this seems to be a planned strategy to build anti-state rhetoric by major political parties to tout PTI and people like her as ‘military mouthpieces’.

She slammed the accusations of being Pakistan’s military pawn and said that she is only pro-Pakistan.

Cynthia again countered harsh criticism for accusing Gulalai Ismail but she is adamant about her claims against Gulalai Ismail that as according to her she has benefitted from being under investigation on her background in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Cynthia D Ritchie was derided when she posted her image in a Peshawar Zalmi jersey expressing her support for the PSL franchise.