'Shoaib faces jail if he doesn't comply with Pak's family laws'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, who is all set to marry Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza, could face the music back home as that country's family laws do not allow a man to take a second wife without divorcing the first one or, at the very least, taking her consent.

The Hyderabad girl Ayesha Siddiqui, who says Shoaib had a telephonic nikah (marriage) with her in 2002 and that she possesses documents to prove this, has sued Shoaib and asked him to "formally divorce" her before marrying Sania. She also circulated copies of her nuptial agreement to reporters and spoke about her relationship with Shoaib.

The Siddiquis' lawyer in Pakistan, barrister Farooq Hassan, said Shoaib could face imprisonment if he doesn't comply with the country's family laws. "According to the Family Law Ordinance (1962), under Section 6, a man can't take a second wife without fulfilling the conditions of divorcing the first one or taking her consent," he said, and added,

"Shoaib is liable to imprisonment, as the Siddiquis have corroborative evidence against Malik." Hassan said he had examined the marriage document. "It's authentic and the marriage did take place. I also spoke to (former Pakistan cricketer) Inzamam-ul-Haq, who said that the marriage did happen."

The Siddiquis dispatched a legal notice to the Maliks on Saturday and it will take two working days to reach them in Pakistan. "The family has sent a legal notice to Maliks on grounds of defamation, harassment, character assassination and fraud."

Former Pakistan cricketer Sarfaraz Nawaz tore into Shoaib, alleging he is a dubious character. "He was involved in match-fixing even in domestic cricket." He quoted a Pakistani TV channel and alleged Shoaib spent $1.8 million on Sania. "And, so far, neither Shoaib nor any of his family members has denied the report aired on Samaa News."

He alleged this was going to be a business marriage. "A lot of money is involved and people will soon know that Shoaib will be fixing tennis matches for Sania," Sarfaraz said.