Mired in controversy, Shoaib Malik appeared in front of the media on Monday afternoon at 4pm, along with his soon-to-be wife Sania Mirza. The raucous press meet mostly had Sania and Shoaib reacting to various questions hurled at them by journalists anxious to establish the truth behind the whole Shoiab-Ayesha story.
The Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik said he is available for any question that anyone anywhere has regarding the controversy. Shoaib also said that he would cooperate with the police, and that he will not leave the country till his name is cleared. When quizzed about whether he was indeed
married to Ayesha Siddiqui, he demanded to know why the lady in question wasn't making her statements in fron of the TV cameras but choosing to speak from behind.
When press persons replied that Ayesha was depressed and in poor health, Shoaib retorted by asking how a person in ill health can possibly give TV interviews spanning over 45 minutes. He said the lady in the photographs being splashed all over the media was a woman he used to refer to as "Apa" (elder sister), and that it was ridiculous that he was being asked to "divorce" her. In the press briefing, Shoaib firmly stressed that he is ready to answer all her accusations and questions, if only she would come out in the open about who she actually is - he quipped that he himself has never seen her all these years and that he certainly is curious to see what she looks like.
Sania Mirza stood by her beau throughout the chaotic conference. She said it wasn't very nice for people to be asking questions of these kinds when a couple was getting married. She said that they wanted their wedding to be a happy occasion, and that everyone must step aside to let the police and the court decide what was wrong and what was right.
Sania asked for those making the allegations to support them with evidence. She said that if there indeed were no proof of any of them, then dragging the families into the controversy is indeed all the more painful. The tennis star said she and Shoaib were indeed getting married on the 15th of April, and that they'd like to remember it on a positive note.
In reply to whether there were fears about her wedding, she said her family knew Shoaib's family well, and that they (Sania and her family) were never kept in the dark about anything. She said there was, then, no question about any apprehension about the marriage.
It remains to be seen how Ayesha ("alias Maha") Siddiqui reacts to Shoaib's demands that she come out in the open with her accusations.