What Shoaib and Ayesha told the Hyderabad police

Thursday, April 08, 2010
HYDERABAD, India: Even as Shoaib Malik has decided to sign the talaknama or divorce papers, thereby conceding that he was married to Ayesha Siddiqui, the Hyderabad police is yet to zero down on who exactly is at fault in the Sania-Shoaib-Ayesha love triangle. Police officials said that the statements of various persons are still being recorded as they try to ascertain the truth. The police had prepared a questionnaire for both Ayesha and Shoaib, and both answered most of it. Here�s what both Ayesha and Shoaib said during interrogation.

Ayesha Siddiqui

�I met him for the first time in Sharjah in the year 2000. I was having my food at a restaurant, and after my food, as I was leaving, Shoaib came up to me and said that I had left my hair clip at the table. When he handed over the hair clip to me, I asked if he was a cricketer. He said, �Yes I play for Pakistan.�. I just joked to him and said, �I play for Australia�.

�We met a couple of times and he returned to Pakistan after that. It was he who insisted that we get married. In fact, he was the one who also suggested the telephonic nikaah, to which I agreed. During our various conversations through telephone and e-mail, he kept nagging me about my weight.

�I did my best to lose weight, since he kept insisting on it so much. He had sent me various e-mails with the ids, malik786@hotmail.com and moon291@hotmail.com.

�However, when I agreed to the nikaah on telephone, I was in Jeddah, while he was in Sialkot. He then sent me all the papers on which I signed and sent it back to him. He then got all the papers stamped and sent it back to me.�

The police say there are various questions cropping up in the case.

�We need to question her further to find out if she is telling the whole truth. There is talk about the semen samples, which would be produced to us. But we need to ascertain the same through tests and also look into the aspect as to why any wife would keep semen samples. If at all the samples are made available then we would also look into the aspect as to whether she is just being vindictive by nature�

Shoaib Malik

Meanwhile, Shoaib was also questioned a couple of times. His signature on the nikahnama is being verified, the results of which would help police get a lot of information.

During questioning, Malik has said that he always met this girl as maha apa.

�The girl whom I met was not the girl who is in the picture at the moment. The real person with whom I was in touch with has never come in front of me. I had visited India thrice to meet her, but the person who is now speaking has never come in front of me. The girl whom I kept meeting was someone else altogether and I am seeing this girl who has been creating this ruckus for the first time,� Malik told the police.

Shoiab was, however, contradictory when questioned about the signatures. First, at a press conference, he said that the signatures are his, but in front of the police he denied having said that. The police say that the only way to find out the truth about the signatures is through a forensics test.

Malik-Sania�s marriage preparations, meanwhile, are on in full swing. The next couple of days though would be crucial; much will depend on how the investigations progress. Family members say that if there is no clear picture emerging the marriage could be put off to later date.

Shoaib Malik admitted his marriage !

Love, ex aur dhokha

In what is seen as a compromise formula, the Siddiquis on Wednesday confirmed that Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik admitted his marriage to Ayesha Siddiqui and signed the divorce papers.

The Siddiquis’ lawyer, barrister Farooq Hasan, confirmed the same. Calling Shoaib a liar, he added, “Shoaib has admitted his marriage to Ayesha. He has agreed to sign the divorce papers, but whether it has been signed so far has not been confirmed yet. This was a safer bet for him.” He also added that the FIR filed against Shoaib by the Siddiquis will be dropped now.

Meanwhile, Sadiqua Babar, close friend of Ayesha, spoke to us and confirmed that the divorce papers were signed by both Shoaib and Ayesha on Wednesday morning. She added that it was good on Shoaib’s part to come forth and settle this matter. She also went on to wish both Shoaib and Ayesha good luck for their future.

The change of events reportedly took place on Tuesday evening in Hyderabad, after Shoaib’s brother-in-law Imran Zafar came down to India and held a series of meetings with the lawyers of both the families. But Ramesh Gupta, Shoaib’s Delhi-based lawyer, said, “If an out-of-court settlement has happened via Pakistan, there is, of course, no need to approach a lawyer. And if a divorce has happened already, then why would they need me?”

Later in the afternoon, Ayesha’s mother and others from her side of the family addressed the media in Hyderabad. Major Qadri, described as a community elder, said, “The community was very upset that a lot of muck was being thrown by both parties at each other. It was getting really dirty. So the community put a lot of pressure on both families, and that’s how we got into this. We’ve hammered out an agreement that is an honourable exit for both families. Saner counsel has prevailed and it’s a very happy result.”

Another spokesperson, who identified himself as a family friend of Ayesha’s mother, Farisa, said, “It was finalised at about 7-8 am on Wednesday morning, with no conditions. Only a nominal maintenance fee of Rs 15,000 will be paid according to sharia law over three months – Rs 5000 per month. The divorce was completed in the presence of a qazi. We have submitted an application for the withdrawal of all cases against Shoaib, and it will happen as per the process.”

Farisa, Ayesha’s mother, said, “Meri beti ki khwaish poori hui – she has obtained a divorce, without any money being involved. It has been done and we are very happy. Justice has been done.” Another family member said, “We just wanted to close this tamasha.” Yet another, identifying himself as Ayesha’s uncle, said, “Nobody has changed their stance. There was too much ugliness and it was affecting both countries, so we went and put pressure on them. Nobody has won or lost. The community was getting a very bad name, so this is a victory for us. Now all of us should only think about Sania’s wedding.”