The divorce certificates of Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik and Ayesha Siddiqui, the Hyderabadi girl he married seven years ago, were issued by Wakf Board institute in Hyderabad on Wednesday evening. The former Pakistan captain had earlier in the day signed papers to divorce Ayesha, after a compromise was brokered by city-based Muslim community leaders, who held hectic negotiations since Tuesday.
The mudslinging is over and its time to celebrate, said Shoaib Malik's team-mates and other Pakistani cricketers as they welcomed his decision to divorce Ayesha Siddiqui after a bitter row, paving the way for his marriage with Indian tennis star Sania Mirza.
The Shoaib Malik controversy is getting murkier. The Hyderabad police have decided to get the nikhanama verified by the Forensics Science Laboratory in Hyderabad as the Pakistan cricketer has alleged that his signature was forged. An officer in the Hyderabad police department told rediff.com that the matter will now be probed by the special wing of the Hyderabad police, known as the Central Crime Station.
After the murky drama over the last few days, Sania Mirza's bungalow is finally looking like one of a bride-to-be. Relatives and friends have begun streaming in with flowers and gifts for the tennis ace, who will wed Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik on April 15. While Sania has plunged headlong in to pre-wedding ceremonies -- like Shagun and Mehndi -- with a touch of Pakistani tradition, Shoaib is still beset with problems.
Even as Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik has decided to sign the talaknama or divorce papers, thereby conceding that he was married to Ayesha Siddiqui, the Hyderabad police is yet to zero down on who exactly is at fault in the Sania-Shoaib-Ayesha love triangle.
The Shoaib-Ayesha controversy turned murkier on Sunday with the Pakistani cricketer claiming he was emotionally forced into the 'nikahnama' with the Hyderabad girl but said the marriage was invalid as her family had cheated him and ruled out divorce.
Is the Sania-Shoaib-Ayesha controversy a media monster or are the parties directly involved responsible for being pushed into the limelight?