'Ayesha's Nikanamah is invalid'

Islamic scholars and Pakistani lawyers have questioned the validity of the marriage certificate produced by Ayesha Siddiqui to prove herself as the first wife of Shoaib Malik, saying the document cannot prevent the cricketer from tying the knot with Sania Mirza.

A renowned scholar Mufti Muhammad Naeem said according to Islamic Shariat a Nikah on telephone, as claimed by Ayesha, was not valid.

"There is no question of a divorce since a Nikah without proper witnesses on telephone is not recognised in Shariat," he said.

A leading barrister and family law expert Talib Rizvi also pointed out that the validity of the Nikahnama produced by the Siddiqui family was doubtful unless they could also produce the witnesses from both sides.

"This cannot be considered as a valid and legal Nikahnama unless the witnesses are present and secondly here one party is denying the Nikah ever took place," he said.

Rizvi also made it clear that under Indian Muslim act, there was no way the Siddiqui family could prevent Malik from getting married to Sania.

Meanwhile, the furore has become a talking point in the Pakistani media.

Geo TV created a stir by running a 2004 interview of Malik in which he clearly stated that he had married a girl named Ayesha who lived in Jeddah but was from Hyderabad, India.

Running the old interview the channels tore into Malik's brother-in-law Imran Zafar asking how he could deny that Malik's Nikah claim by Ayesha's family was not true.

But later in the day Geo Super Channel ran another old interview of Malik, which was recorded when he was made captain in April, 2007, in which he was asked about his marriage.

"I will get married with the consent of my parents to a girl of their choice. But I have chosen no one as yet so let us see what happens," Malik said on the interview.

The two contradictory interviews have deepened the mystery surrounding his alleged marriage with Ayesha Siddiqui.

The press conference by Ayesha's parents was also cut live on all channels and their emotional outburst drew a lot of reaction.

Malik is scheduled to get married to Sania on April 15 in Hyderabad.