Hyderabad, April 5
Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik found himself entangled in a web of legal troubles today with the Andhra Pradesh police seizing his passport and mobile phone after registering a cheating case based on a complaint by Hyderabadi girl Ayesha Siddiqui, who claims to be his first wife.

On a day of dramatic developments in the Shoaib-Ayesha saga, the police questioned the cricketer — who has been staying at his bride-to-be and tennis star Sania Mirza’s house — for over two hours.

He was asked not to leave the country till completion of the investigation as authorities grappled with the case fraught with international ramifications. “If necessary, we may have to arrest him. We will question all those who figure in the complaint,” Hyderabad Police Commissioner AK Khan said.

The police team also went to Ayesha’s house and recorded her statement. In a startling revelation, a friend of Ayesha’s family, Dr Shams Babar, said she had physical intimacy with Shoaib leading to pregnancy and a miscarriage.

“We have submitted all the proof to the police. We want Shoaib to tender public apology and seek divorce. We do not want any monetary damages,” he said.

However, unfazed by the murky turn of events, Shoaib and Sania made a joint appearance before the media in the evening and rubbished the charges being levelled by Ayesha family. Declaring that they were together, they said there was no change in their plans to get married on April 15.

Rejecting Ayesha’s demand for apology, the former Pakistani captain said: “I will not apologise as I have not done anything wrong. I have come to clear my name and I will not be leaving till I clear my name. I am fully cooperating with the police.”

Hitting out at Ayesha for accusing him of cheating her after marriage, he said “Why is she hiding? Why can’t she come out and face me? I have appeared before the cameras. Why is she not willing to face the press? I used to call Ayesha ‘Aapa’ and that means elder sister. Ten years back, I was 18 years old and you just go and ask her age.”

While admitting that he had signed the nikah document in June 2002, Shoaib said telephonic nikah was not valid and it was done by fraudulent means. His main contention is that he had agreed for marriage presuming that his bride would be the one whose photographs were sent to him. But, the girl never met him and he knew Ayesha as Maha Apa all along.

“She is just making statements behind the camera. Ask Ayesha to come out and let the people decide what is wrong and what is right,” the cricketer said.

“I will not make public the photographs sent to me because I am told the girl in the photographs is married,” Shoaib said.

Standing by his side, Sania backed him to the hilt and said: “Me and my family have all along known the truth. Let them prove the nikah and he is ready to do anything. These are not nice things for me to hear about my future husband.”

“The entire drama has left a very bad taste in our mouths. Shoaib never misled me. There was never a marriage and so there is no question of divorce. We are well aware of what the truth is,” the tennis ace declared. Earlier in the day, a police team, comprising Asssistant Commissioner of Police Ravinder Reddy and Banjara Hills inspector Iqbal Siddiqui, went to Sania’s residence in Jubilee Hills and questioned Shoaib.

“We have asked him not to leave the country till the investigation is completed. We have transferred the case to central crime station,” the Police Commissioner said, adding that the Central government has been made aware of the progress in the case. The city police last night registered a criminal case against Shoaib based on a complaint by Ayesha alleging that the Pakistani cricketer had cheated her and subjected her to physical and mental torture.

A case was booked under sections 420 (cheating), 498-A (dowry harassment) and 506 (criminal intimidation). The police authorities are also taking legal opinion as the case involved a foreigner and the alleged offence committed on foreign soil. Meanwhile, Ayesha’s family claimed that Shoaib had met her at least 14 times after the marriage. “It is true that Ayesha had a miscarriage but I cannot tell which year it happened. We have enough proofs against Shoaib they go beyond the marriage,” Dr Babar, the family physician of the Siddiquis, said. He said Ayesha was prepared to drop charges if Shoaib tendered public apology and asked for divorce. 

Islamabad, April 5
Pakistan today said it will extend all assistance to former cricket captain Shoaib Malik, who has been slapped with cheating and harassment charges in India by Ayesha Siddiqui who claims to be his wife, days ahead of his planned wedding to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza.

The Pakistan government said it was in touch with Indian authorities in connection with the police complaint filed against Malik by the Indian woman. Malik is currently in Hyderabad and his passport has been siezed after an FIR was registered against him. Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi was in contact with Indian authorities and had asked them to share information on the FIR filed against Malik in Hyderabad.

Pakistani authorities have "to wait till all the details of the FIR are with us," Basit said. The Indian government had not yet shared details of the FIR with Pakistani officials, he said. "We will give Shoaib Malik all the assistance he requires. We will proceed in the best interests of Shoaib Malik," Basit said. The case was filed against Malik 10 days before his planned wedding with Mirza. Malik recently announced that he would wed Sania on April 15. — PTI

New Delhi, April 5
Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik’s lawyer said today that his client would not file for anticipatory bail and he is cooperating with the Hyderabad police investigations into the FIR lodged by Ayesha Siddiqui, who claims to be his wife, against him.

In a press conference at the Patiala House district courts, Ramesh Gupta said he has spoken to Shoaib and he said he was cooperating with the police and there was no need of filing an anticipatory bail application. — TNS

Lucknow, April 5
Sania Mirza’s trials and tribulations refuse to come to an end. She may have to appear before a Muzaffarnagar court, which today fixed April 28 as the date of hearing into the National Anthem disgrace case.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar could not hear the case today due to the district Bar council election.

Four cases were registered against Sania in November 2008, when the court took cognisance of a law student’s complaint charging her of insulting the National Anthem during a tennis tournament in Muzzafarnagar.

The hearing of the first case was slated for today, while the second, third and the fourth cases were to be heard on April 21, April 22 and May 18, respectively.

Sania’s counsel Ravindra Chaudhary said a case under the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, 1971, had been lodged against her after she stood in a wrong posture during the National Anthem during an international-level tennis competition in November 2008.

The matter had first come up in the court of ACJM II Sumit Chandra, who has fixed November 14, 2008, for recording the statement of the complainant.