Nikah done, Mirza family forgets qazis

Men who solemnised Sania Mirza's marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik on April 11 were not invited to the wedding reception yesterday

Men who solemnised Sania Mirza's marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik on April 11 were not invited to the wedding reception yesterday

Sania Mirza's parents did not invite the qazis who solemnised her marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik to her wedding reception yesterday.

Azamathulla Zafari, deputy qazi of Golkonda, who was present when the chief qazi solemnised the nikah, at Taj Krishna, said he was not disturbed by the oversight.

"After all, we are not VIPs to be present at the party. We have done our job. Let them be happy with whatever they want."

Sania Mirza poses with husband Shoaib Malik and parents at their wedding reception yesterday.

Zafari had attracted the Mirza's ire after he announced in public that it was not possible to perform the nikah until Indian authorities return Shoaib's passport.

The Mirzas had to postpone the nikah, which was scheduled for April 9 was only held on April 11.

Zafari, who was to perform the nikah, was sidelined, and the chief qazi Mohamad Nazmuddin Hussain was given the responsibility.

Neither Zafari nor Hussain were invited to the reception yesterday.

The negotiators who helped broker peace between Shoaib Malik and his first wife Ayesha Malik's family, were however, not forgotten like they were on the day of the wedding April 11.

"Somehow, the family was not comfortable with us. We did not expect to be invited for the reception. I guess the family turned courteous after the media wrote about how we were being sidelined.

I am happy that Shoaib had the grace to thank me for my role in the mediation," said Abid Rasool Khan, who also presented a bouquet of flowers to Sania and Shoaib on behalf of Andhra Pradesh CM Konijeti Rosaiah.

"I decided to go to the dawat (dinner party) though I was not invited to the nikah.

Why should I be mean if they are not courteous? I discussed the invitation with other negotiators and decided to attend the function," said Major Qadri, one of the negotiators.

The Other Side

Sania Mirza's spokesperson Rucha Naik said that the guest list had to be selective for obvious reasons. "I am not in a position to comment on why the qazis were not invited," Naik said.