Hyderabad: Indian Tennis Star Sania Mirza on Tuesday said that she and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malek will marry in Hyderabad on April 15 but made it clear that the marriage of an Indian and a Pakistani sports star was not a “political statement”.
Addressing her first press conference since the news about her engagement with Shoaib Malek broke on Monday, Sania said that both she and Shoaib and their families were very happy. “You can not ask for any thing more”, she said.
Standing besides Sania, her father Imran Mirza said that Nikah (marriage) ceremony will be held in Hyderabad on April 15 and the reception will be held in Lahore, Shoaib’s home town later.
In pictures: The lives and loves of Sania and Shoaib
Sania said that she will continue to play after her marriage and will think of children only after playing 2012 Olympics. “I am yet to marry and here you are asking about my children”, she chided the reporters who wanted to know about her plans.
She said that she and Shoaib will settle down in Dubai. “Dubai has always been a second home to me. I will miss my parents but it is only a three hours flight away”.
She said that it was the right time to marry since she was nursing injuries. “I have lot of free time on my hands, I guess”, she said with a smile.
“I will keep playing for India and he will, ‘Inshallah’, play for Pakistan”, she said.
When asked whom she will support in an India-Pakistan match, she said “I will support India but I will also support my husband”.
When asked to comment on the difficult relations between India and Pakistan in the context of her marriage, Sania said: “I think we are getting married. We are not making any statement - politically.”
When asked whether she was consciously setting an example by choosing to marry a Pakistani so as to bridge the gap between the two countries, Sania said, “honestly it does not matter to me if some one emulates it or not. I am doing it and we are getting married and to me this is the most important day of my life. I just wanted to know how I am going to look and how my hair is going to be rather than think if someone else is going to emulate or how India and Pakistan's political issues are going to be”.
She said that even on twitter she received many messages from the people of India and Pakistan wishing very best of luck to both of them.
When asked about the recent controversy over Shoaib’s marriage to another Hyderabad girl and whether it was on her mind, Sania said, “No. Of course not! Otherwise I won’t be standing here and telling you I am getting married to him. I have always lived in the present and so has he. So we all made a decision to live in the present and we are all very happy with what is going on”.
Sania said that she knew Shoaib for the last 7 years and recalled that she had spoken to him when he had scored 92 runs on 25 balls but missed the world record of scoring the fastest century narrowly.
