Islamabad, April 05: Shoib Malik may cry hoarse saying he was cheated and deceived by Ayesha Siddiqui, but in his homeland Pakistan, public sympathy is with his alleged first wife. This interesting fact was revealed in an opinion poll conducted by a television channel there.
A Geo TV show on Shoaib’s much- anticipated wedding with Sania Mirza put a question to the viewers, asking who they thought was wrong in the controversy.
Ayesha won with an overwhelming majority, with 68 per cent of the viewers believing she was wronged. Only 38 per cent sympathised with Shoaib.
Since Ayesha broke her silence and produced the nikahnama ( marriage certificate), there has been widespread sympathy for her in Pakistan. The press conference held by her father and mother on Friday night only increased the number of her supporters.
Ayesha also gave an interview to Geo on Saturday, in which she reiterated that she had never forced Shoaib to marry her. “ I want nothing from him. He can marry Sania and I wish them both all the best. All I am asking is he admit he solemnised a nikah with me and divorce me properly so that I can go on living a normal life,” she said, adding that Shoaib had rejected her because of her weight problems.
“ I don’t think every girl in Pakistan is beautiful. But no woman should ever have to hear the sort of things I heard from him about my weight or appearance,” she said.
Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram is also skeptical about the marriage. He has wished the couple a happy married life, but feels Shoaib’s controversial past with Ayesha will do him no good.
“ First up, many congratulations to Shoaib Malik, although the juicy news about his previous relationship will do him no good.
Whatever the facts are, I would like to wish Sania Mirza and Shoaib a good life together. Marriage is sacred,” Akram wrote in a column for ESPN.
–PTI