You are here: Home > Mumbai > Shoaib's ex trouble for Sania Mirza

Shoaib Malik's ex-wife Ayesha Siddiqui to move court; former Pak skipper plans to follow suit

Controversy is already cropping up days after Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and tennis player Sania Mirza announced their marriage plan.

AISE BHI DIN THE: Shoaib Malik with Ayesha's mother, Farisa Siddiqui, at her Hyderabad home in 2005. FILE PIC

Malik, who allegedly married Ayesha in 2002, was forced by her family to get a divorce after he claimed there was no formal nikah between the two in 2008. Now, Malik plans to sue Ayesha Siddiqui's family based in Hyderabad.

"Shoaib plans to sue Ayesha's family, who, he believes, is indulging in character assassination," Malik's cousin, Imran Zafar Malik, confirmed. "The girl with whom Shoaib was friendly, was a different one. This is a fraud case."

Imran said Shoaib planned to engage Delhi-based lawyer Ramesh Gupta, to whom he had spoken
yesterday.

On the other hand, Ayesha's cousin, Aliya, said, "We have already filed a case against Shoaib for defaming Ayesha and for character assassination. He will soon receive a notice."

Rubbishing Shoaib's claims about dating somebody else, Aliya said, "He had earlier agreed that he had a nikah with Ayesha."

The controversy

Shoaib Malik allegedly married Ayesha Siddiqui through a telephone 'nikah' on June 3, 2002. But, in a statement in Karachi on January 21, 2008, Shoaib claimed that no nikah had taken place. The cricketer said his marriage plans with the Hyderabadi girl ended because both families could not reach an understanding on certain issues. "Yes, I had a long relationship with her and we planned to get married.   But no nikah ever took place. In the end, our families could not reach an understanding over various things," Malik had said. Ayesha's father, M A Siddiqui, had then said that the family would move court if his daughter did not get a divorce. Pakistani players were even feted to a grand reception by the Siddiqui family in Hyderabad when the team toured India in 2005.