Sania Mirza's family confirms she and Shoaib Malik have been 'divorced for a few months now', request people to respect privacy

L-Sania Mirza; R- Shoaib Malik and Sana Javed

Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik announced his wedding to Pakistani actress Sana Javed on Saturday sending shockwaves in India. Malik was earlier married to ace Indian tennis star Sania Mirza with whom he also has a son. While the two never announced a formal divorce there have been reports of a rift in their marriage in the past. Now, Mirza's family has confirmed that the couple has been divorced for a few months now.

Sania Mirza's younger sister Anam Mirza took to her Instagram handle to share the official statement from the family. The family decided to speak up owing to the rising speculations around her and Shoaib Malik's relationship. The family confirmed that Sania and Shoaib got a divorce a few months back.

The statement read, "Sania has always kept her personal life away from the public eye. However, today the need has arisen for her to share that Shoaib and she have been divorced for a few months now. She wishes Shoaib well for his new journey ahead!"

"At this sensitive period of her life, we would like to request all fans and well- wishers to refrain from indulging in any speculation and to respect her need for privacy," read the statement signed by The Mirza family and Team Sania.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, cricketer Shoaib Malik took to social media to share a photo with Javed and captioned it, "And We created you in pairs." The two have worked in multiple shows and TV commercials in Pakistan and have been close associates.

After the news of the wedding broke, PTI reported that the tennis star's father Imran Mirza said that "it was a 'khula'", which refers to the right of a Muslim woman to divorce her husband unilaterally.

Who is Pakistani actress Sana Javed?

Born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 25, 1993, Sana Javed made her on-screen debut in 2012 in the spiritual romantic drama serial "Shehr-e-Zaat," with Mahira Khan in the lead role. That same year, she appeared in another TV serial, Mera Pehla Pyar. In 2013, she featured in five serials and a telefilm.

Since then, Sana has been a prominent figure on Pakistani television, working on various notable projects, including Zara Yaad Kar. However, it was her role as Sanam Ali Khan Khaani in Anjum Shahzad's drama series Khaani that earned her significant acclaim, with two nominations at the Lux Style Awards 2019. She also received praise for her portrayal of Sameera, a rape survivor, in Rubina Ashraf's crime drama Ruswai.

According to The Siasat Daily, Sana married singer Umair Jaswal in a private Nikah ceremony in 2020, but their relationship ended shortly after.