Indian tennis star Sania Mirza married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik at a hotel in Hyderabad on Monday after getting a copy of Shoaib's passport from the city police.


"The nikah has been completed. Please pray for the couple," Sania's spokesperson Rucha Naik told media persons outside hotel Taj Krishna. The simple and brief nikah ceremony, held between 12.30 pm and 1 pm, was attended by about 70 close relatives and friends of the bride and bridegroom.

Sania, 23, and Shoaib, 28, signed the 'nikahnama' and said "qubool hai" (I accept) in the presence of a qazi and two witnesses to formally solemnize the marriage. With the signing of the nikahnama, Sania became the second wife of former Pakistani skipper, who divorced his first wife Ayesha Siddiqui last week.
Ayesha, a resident of this city, had filed a case against Shoaib after he rejected her demand to divorce her before marrying Sania. Shoaib had married Ayesha over phone in 2002 but then accused her of duping him by sending photographs of another girl and emotionally forcing him into the marriage.

Shoaib's passport, seized last week in connection with a case filed by Ayesha, is still with the police. Additional Commissioner of Police N Narasimha Reddy said it may take a week for Shoaib to get back his passport as some formalities with regard to closure of the case would have to be completed.

The high-profile marriage was surrounded by controversies ever since it was announced March 29.
It is learnt that the two families decided to solemnise the marriage Monday to avoid further controversies, especially in the light of a 'fatwa' issued Sunday by Islamic religious scholars against Sania and Shoaib living together before their wedding.