Marriage with Ayesha not valid: Shoaib’s brother-in-law

NEW DELHI - Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik’s brother-in-law Imran Zafar Malik Tuesday claimed that Shoaib’s “nikah” (marriage) to Ayesha Siddiqui was never registered legally and it is not valid.

“Their marriage was not registered. The legal process was never completed… it is not valid. She (Ayesha) had pressurised us for sending nikah papers. They were sent for her satisfaction,” he told reporters here.

Zafar Malik claimed that he had come to Hyderabad only twice - once in 2004 when he had gone to Ayesha’s house where she met him while posing as Ayesha’s cousin and second time in March 2010.

Questioning Ayesha’s intentions and urging her to come out in open, he asked whether she had never shown those marriage papers to any authority in India or Pakistan till date.

“Tomorrow Shoaib Malik’s family would be coming to India to attend the marriage. The marriage will not be postponed and will take place April 15 as scheduled. If the couple go back to Pakistan, the problems will be solved,” he said.

Shoaib, who is set to marry Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, has been in the eye of a storm over his alleged marriage to Ayesha.

Ayesha Sunday lodged a police complaint in Hyderabad against Shoaib for cheating her and going ahead with his second marriage with Sania without divorcing her. She filed the complaint under sections 498 A (harassment), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

The cricketer approached Delhi-based lawyer Ramesh Gupta, who has appeared in high-profile cases like the BMW hit-and-run case and the Rahul Mahajan drug overdose case, to represent him.

Zafar has reportedly come to Delhi to consult him and decide the further course of action.