Shoaib Malik lands in Hyderabad, marriage may be advanced

The Shoaib-Sania match became even more of a sensation than the record-breaking Chennai-Rajasthan cricket match on Saturday, with the unexpected arrival in Hyderabad of the Pakistani cricketer.

Though the reason for his sudden appearance at the residence of the Mirzas in Jubilee Hills 12 days ahead of the scheduled marriage is anybody’s guess, sources in the know told DNA that the cricketer was on a troubleshooting mission.

Malik landed in Hyderabad past midnight and reached Sania’s residence early on Saturday. Throughout the day, several people were in and out of the residence, including two popular cricketers from Andhra Pradesh.

Sources suggested the Pakistan cricketer had been called to Hyderabad by the Mirzas to clear up the controversy over his earlier ‘marriage’ with Ayesha Siddiqui, and also strategise on the marriage with Sania without getting into legal hurdles.

AM Siddiqui, father of Malik’s alleged first wife, has reportedly sent a legal notice to Malik, and the Mirzas were keen on hearing Shoaib’s side of the story straight from the horse’s mouth.

The Mirzas and Malik were also working on a compromise formula to be put forth to the Siddiquis so as to achieve normalcy before the marriage. Sources tracking the developments said that there were efforts during the day to reach the Siddiquis and settle the dispute away from the public gaze. “The Siddiquis are adamant and are insisting on a formal divorce. Now, one has to see if there is any other mode of settling the dispute,” the source said.

According to Islamic law, there is an option for a woman to go and seek a divorce from the husband and mutual consent is not necessary in such cases. Sources said that the Mirzas and Malik might encourage the Siddiquis to explore that option and offer some relief to the family in return, in private. However, there is no confirmation on this from either side.

Siddiqui’s lawyer said that if it is proved that the marriage is valid and Ayesha chooses to forego the divorce, Shoaib and Sania will need her permission for their nikah.

Sources are also indicating at a possibility of moving forward the date set for the Malik-Sania nikah. Though it was planned to be a grand celebrity wedding, now the technicalities of registering the marriage and seeking a certificate (nikahnama) might be done at the earliest opportunity. “The date set for reception (April 15) need not change. But the marriage could be done earlier once the Mirzas are satisfied with Malik’s version on the controversy,” the source said.

Advancing the marriage date may also be a way to put an end to the daily ‘revelations’ in the media on the Shoaib-Ayesha relationship. After producing a nikahnama proving she was married to Shoaib, which the cricketer has said is fraudulent, Ayesha now claims she has witnesses to prove that she stayed with the former Pak cricket captain at Hyderabad’s Taj Residency (which was Holiday Inn earlier).

“If you are asking if we lived together, yes, we did stay together and it is unfortunate that we also have to prove this, but we have witnesses,” Ayesha told Pakistan’s Geo TV in an interview.
Two members of the hotel’s staff who had provided her and Shoaib room service and breakfast had agreed to testify, Ayesha said. She refused to name them because they may have to testify in court proceedings.

Ayesha said she had stayed with Shoaib in the hotel on two occasions, including once in 2004. She also said Shoaib would never “dare” to do anything against her as long as his father was alive. “Shoaib’s father was a very good human being and he would always back me when he was alive,” she said.

“After he died, things changed and Shoaib became very bitter. (Shoaib) used to say he didn’t know why he was stuck with me and he would complain about my looks and weight,” Ayesha said.
Shoaib had said in a statement that in a phone conversation, Ayesha had expressed her desire to make their nikah public, TV channels reported on Saturday.