Shoaib Malik blinks, settles for divorce with Ayesha Siddique

The week-long suspense involving Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik and his ‘first wife’ Ayesha Siddiqui ended on Wednesday after the cricketer, in an abrupt climbdown, literally accepted his marriage to Ayesha by settling for a divorce. The compromise now paves the way for his marriage to tennis star Sania Mirza.

Sania will be Malik’s second wife, according to Islamic law, said a person involved in the negotiations. Under the compromise, brokered by a couple of politicians and several religious leaders, Malik agreed to sign the talaqnama (divorce papers) and also pay Rs5,000 per month for three months as maintenance to Ayesha.

“Neither Ayesha nor Malik has won or lost in the process,’’ said Abid Rasool Khan, who led the peace initiative. According to him, though Malik was not keen on a compromise, he obliged keeping in view his future with Sania. “The compromise was unconditional,’’ Khan said, adding Ayesha, from the beginning, was keen on a formal divorce. Malik, too, wanted to come clean without any legal troubles before his marriage to Sania. “It’s a win-win situation for both,’’ he said.

Major Qadri, who was part of the team that negotiated with both parties, told DNA that a talaqnama was handed over to the mediators by Malik and it would now be registered with a qazi of Golconda.

“The talaqnama is with me. We will get it registered with the qazi and also notarise it,” he said. Qadri clarified that going by Islamic law, Sania would be the second wife of Malik.

After the deal, Ayesha’s representatives approached Hyderabad police commissioner AK Khan and withdrew their complaint.