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Tennis star Sania Mirza married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik on Monday, after a romance that saw the groom forced to get a messy divorce from his first wife days before the wedding.

The two wed at a plush hotel in Hyderabad, hometown of Mirza, the poster girl of Indian tennis on whom ride millions of rupees in brand endorsements.

Mirza, 23, wore a red embroidered sari from her mother’s wedding trousseau 25 years ago. The groom, accompanied by relatives from Pakistan, wore a long black tunic.

“The nikah (marriage) has been completed, it has just got over. Please pray for the couple,” Rucha Naik, a spokeswoman for Mirza, told reporters waiting outside the hotel.

Marriages between people from India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed rivals who have fought three wars, are rare. But this wedding transfixed the two nations as a dramatic revelation came to the fore days after Mirza and Malik said they were marrying.

A Hyderabad woman named Ayesha Siddiqui complained to police, saying she and Malik married in 2002 and that he could not marry again without divorcing her.

Police seized Malik’s passport and questioned him after the former Pakistani captain denied knowing the woman.

The two sides repeatedly appeared before TV cameras to refute each other’s claims as Muslim clerics weighed into the row.

But last week Malik signed divorce papers in an implicit acknowledgement of his marriage to Siddiqui, who then withdrew her complaint.

Mirza is the first Indian to win a WTA tour event in 2005. Despite initial promise, she now ranks at 89, hamstrung mostly by injuries.

Malik, 28, is fighting a year-long ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board for poor performance and indiscipline.

The couple will settle in Dubai.

Hyderabad, April 6 – Tennis star Sania Mirza could face more trouble before her April 15 marriage with embattled Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik as an advocate has filed a police complaint that her marriage would amount to treason.

Srinivas Rao Tuesday lodged a complaint with Banjara Hills police station and demanded that all awards and rewards given to her by the government of India be taken back.

‘She earned crores of rupees while playing tennis as an Indian player. Now her act of marrying a Pakistani amounts to sedition,’ said Srinivas Rao, an advocate in Andhra Pradesh High Court.

‘She received all awards and rewards from the tax payers’ money. If she goes ahead with her marriage to a Pakistani, the government should take back whatever was presented to her,’ he said and pointed out that the government presented her cash prizes and house sites.

Sania Mirza has always guarded her private life. Even after the media got to know about her would be marriage with Shoaib Malik, she wrote on Twitter, “I know this has come as a big surprise to everyone but I hope you all understand that I have always kept my personal life private & I would.”

After the fiasco surrounding her marriage, not only because Shoaib is from Pakistan but also because another Hyderabadi woman Ayesha claiming to be Shoaib’s first wife, Sania is trying to be as discreet as possible about her wedding plans.

Sania even wants her wedding dress to be left alone! Sania has roped in designer brothers Shantanu and Nikhil who also happen to be Sania’s friends to design her bridal wear. When we tried to contact the duo they said, “Yes we are designing Sania’s wedding and reception outfits but we cannot divulge any further details on it.”
Apparently Sania intends to keep her wedding plans as discreet as possible to avoid inviting further trouble than what already exists. There are brides who can’t stop gushing about their bridal outfit and then there is Sania!

HYDERABAD: “Sania Mirza knows the truth and the family members from both sides are all happy about my wedding which is going to take place in Hyderabad on April 15,” said former Pakistani captain Shoaib Malik who is here to get into the preparatory mode for the celebrity wedding.

In his first interaction with the media after arriving last Friday, a visibly relaxed Shoaib repeatedly stressed he was not going to discuss anything relating to his alleged earlier marriage with another Hyderabad girl Ayesha Siddiqui.

“The matter is sub judice and my lawyer will answer any queries on the subject,” was all that he said, despite persistent queries. However, the two-page statement issued by him referred to the subject in detail.

The Pakistani cricketer also made it clear that Sania will continue to play for India and he will represent Pakistan. “We are delighted at the way preparations are going on. The list of invitees is not yet finalised and we are still in the process of doing so. Definitely, all my family members will be here for the wedding since both Sania and I have the blessings of everyone concerned,” he explained.

Saturday’s uneasy calm at Sania’s residence is slowly giving way to a festive air, and there is a discernible sense of joy, 10 days ahead of the marriage. Shoaib landed in Hyderabad to the surprise of the media but not to Imran Mirza’s (Sania’s father’s) family. The cricketer arrived early to get the mandatory clearances from different government channels, it was learnt.

The invitation cards are ready and the distribution to the 500 ‘select’ guests will take place soon. Sania’s family members staunchly believe that Shoaib is clean and they are not so naïve as to gamble on their daughter’s happiness. “We believe in the Almighty and in whatever we know about Malik. We are going ahead with the marriage plans. Whatever controversies have cropped up are not of our making,” they insisted.

Sania, for her part, re-asserted that she should know Shoaib better than anyone else since she decided on him to be her life-partner.

In his statement, Shoaib reiterated that there was no valid nikah because they (Ayesha’s family) pressured him into it, with the intention to cheat. “In Islam, there can be a divorce, only if the nikah is valid. I was wrongly made to believe that the pictures Ayesha had sent me were of the girl I was marrying. I feel terrible about the mess created by a family, that has caused great grief to my own people and the family of my bride-to-be,” Shoaib said.

The statement also included the opinion on nikah by Mohammed Khader Ali, Sadar Qazi (chief Qazi) of Hyderabad and president of the A.P. Association of Qazis on nikah and the Muslim Law.

“In Muslim Law, it is about the process, the procedure. There can be no tampering with that. Secondly, Meher [dowry or a specified sum of money], presence of two witnesses [one from the bride's and one from the groom's side], vakhil [guardian of the bride] and finally the bride and the groom, all these parties have to sign the nikahnama at the time of nikah,” the chief Qazi explained.

Significantly, the Sadar Qazi clarified that the telephone nikah is no longer valid. “This is because all parties that I had earlier mentioned, cannot be at the same place to sign the nikahnama if the nikah is taking place over the telephone, with the bride and groom in different cities or countries,” he pointed out.

Source: The Hindu

Hyderabad, Apr 3 (ANI): Ace tennis star Sania Mirza is all set to tie the nuptial knot with Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in Dubai on April 15, as Malik’s family fears protests in India on their arrival.

The Pakistani media has reported that Malik’s family wants the wedding to take place in Dubai and would not come to India.

“Around 25 people are expected to attend the marriage in Dubai,” adds the Pakistani media.

After the marriage, the couple will be based in Dubai, where Shoaib is a resident.

The wedding ceremony of both the sports stars will take place in April, while the Walima reception will be hosted by Shoaib on April 16 or 17 in Lahore.

Shoaib was earlier engaged to another Hyderabad girl, Ayesha Siddiqui. (ANI)