Zia Chishti, Sitara-i-Imtiaz (third-highest honour and civilian award in Pakistan) holder and founder of a multi-dollar company “Afiniti”, has been accused by a 23-year-old Tatiana Spottiswoode of sexually abusing her, reports The Guardian.
Spottiswoode, who is a Columbia University law student and daughter of Chishti’s friend, told the United States (US) House of Representatives judiciary committee that Chishti had told her “he should have had sex with me when I was 13 years old”.
The committee released images on Wednesday allegedly showing neck injuries sustained by Spottiswoode.
Spottiswoode, who joined Afiniti on Chishti’s insistence in 2016, told the committee her contract included an arbitration agreement with a “strong confidentiality clause” that had prevented her from speaking out about the alleged assaults.
Trigger Warning!
She said, “Over the next 18 months he [Chishti] oscillated between pressuring me for sex and punishing me. When I rebuffed him he humiliated me in front of co-workers and then ignored me completely, causing me to fear for my job.”
She said that on a work trip to Brazil she “began to worry that, in addition to wanting sex, Chishti wanted to hurt me and punish me for rejecting him”.
“I felt completely trapped and hopeless. I was 23 and very far from home,” she told the committee. “I didn’t want to lose my job, I didn’t want him to get any angrier, I did not feel that anyone would protect me and I was too tired to argue with him anymore. I went to his room where he beat me while having sex with me.”
Spottiswoode said her body was “covered with scratches, cuts, and contusions”.
“I had bruises around my neck that looked like I had been strangled, a large bump on my head, and a black eye. A nurse at the hospital said I had the symptoms of a concussion,” she said.
Afiniti, which also employs Princess Beatrice, said Chishti “strongly disputes all accusations against him” and termed Spottiswoode’s claims “wrong”.
After a detailed string of allegations made against the Sitara-i-Imtiaz holder, former British Prime Minister (PM) David Cameron announced that he has quit his role at the software company.
The former PM stood down as chair of its advisory board.
