Mirza says she will play for India, but Shiv Sena, Pakistan tennis chief say she must represent Pakistan.
Advice and opinion are pouring in from all quarters after Sania Mirza publicly acknowledged her relationship with former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik. Greater interest now revolves around the country the tennis star will represent after her marriage to the cricketer later this month.
The Shiv Sena, which opposes sporting and cultural ties with Pakistan, has expressed reservations over Mirza’s decision to play for India despite marrying a Pakistani national. “If Sania marries a Pakistani, she will have to adopt Pakistani nationality. In such a scenario, how can she play for India? She should go to Pakistan and live there peacefully,” Sena leader Sanjay Raut said. Though Mirza has said she would retain her Indian passport and play for India despite settling in Dubai after marriage, Raut is not impressed. “Is India like a tennis ball that is placed in one court one day and in another some other time? She would play for India and her husband against India. We cannot tolerate this,” fumed Raut.
Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) chief Dilawar Abbas went a step further. He said he expects Mirza to follow tradition and represent her husband’s country.
“Asian women traditionally follow their husbands which is why I’m hopeful that someday she would be inspired by Shoaib to play for Pakistan,” he said, adding that Mirza could encourage Pakistani girls to take up tennis and inspire them to become world-class players.
It’s unlikely that Abbas’s expectations would be fulfilled. In a letter to the All India Tennis Association on Thursday, Mirza and her parents have confirmed that she will continue to play for India after marriage. She will be part of the Indian team for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October, XVI Asian Games in China in November, 2011 Fed Cup in February next year and the Olympics in London in July-August 2012.
The Mirza-Malik saga has generated hysteria especially due to their failed relationships. While Mirza broke off her engagement to Sohrab Mirza two months ago, Malik had an allegedly failed marriage to Hyderabad girl Ayesha Siddiqui in 2002. And though Mirza has said that she is not making any political statement by marrying Malik, the cross-border match is seen as a hope to improve India-Pakistan ties. “I am sure the marriage will regulate not only sporting relations but also help the people to come closer to each other and improve government to government level relations,” Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ijaz Butt said.
Others, however, are not impressed. “The number of cases where women are cheated by their husbands is growing. Now, there are talks about Sania’s wedding to a Pakistani. Previous experiences show that Jemima Khan, a British national, who had married Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan, too had to leave that country. I am worried about Sania,” Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe said in the state legislative council.
—With inputs from agencies
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