India's Top Tennis Player to Marry Pakistan's Top Cricketer
Voice of America
The cross-border story of Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik is grabbing the headlines in India and Pakistan, South Asia's nuclear arch-rivals.
In this combination of two file photos, Indian tennis player Sania Mirza at a press conference in Hyderabad, India, Feb. 4, 2008, left, and Pakistani cricket captain Shoaib Malik at a press conference in Karachi, Pakistan on Jan. 19, 2009, are shown. Malik is to marry Mirza in April, Malik told his fans on Twitter, news reports said Tuesday, March 30, 2010.
News about India and Pakistan is usually dominated by their many disputes on contentious issues ranging from Kashmir to terrorism. But this time a different kind of cross-border story is grabbing the headlines - two sports stars from India and Pakistan have decided to get married.
"We have news now and it is confirmed as well that Sania Mirza is going to be getting married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik," announced a television anchor.
Both young and old in India and Pakistan tuned in as domestic TV channels announced the cross-border match between India's top woman tennis player Sania Mirza, and former Pakistani cricket captain, Shoaib Malik.
Some news headlines called it the "India-Pakistan love story". Others called it "India Pakistan Love Match," some termed it "Match fixing."
The high profile, unprecedented alliance between sports stars of the South Asian countries, whose rivalry has led to three wars, is getting huge attention.
Sania Mirza, 23, and 28-year-old Shoaib Malik, 28, are not only well known sports personalities, they are also popular youth icons.
Sania Mirza's father has said the couple will be based in Dubai, and both will continue to play for their countries in their respective sports. Sania Mirza says she hopes to represent India in two upcoming sporting events - the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, after recovering from a wrist injury.
People in India, more used to hearing controversies of another kind with neighbor Pakistan, said they were happy at the announcement, and hoped it would help bridge the divide between the two countries.
"Nice to hear there is some romance between the two countries rather than fighting terrorists all the time," said one person.
"In the present day world it is OK, you want to get together, marry each other, it is fine," said another.
The wedding is scheduled to take place next month. Wedding celebrations are expected to be held in both countries - in the Indian city of Hyderabad, where Sania Mirza lives and in the Pakistani city of Lahore.
Both players have been involved in earlier controversies. Sania Mirza broke off her engagement to a childhood friend in January. Shoaib Malik was accused by another Indian woman of marrying her over the telephone. The cricketer denied it, but admitted to being engaged.
Relations between India and Pakistan remain tense, but a peace process which began in 2004 has yielded dividends in terms of closer people to people contacts between the two countries.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Indias-Top-Tennis-Player-to-Marry-Pakistans-Top-Cricketer-89504912.html
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Voice of America
The cross-border story of Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik is grabbing the headlines in India and Pakistan, South Asia's nuclear arch-rivals.In this combination of two file photos, Indian tennis player Sania Mirza at a press conference in Hyderabad, India, Feb. 4, 2008, left, and Pakistani cricket captain Shoaib Malik at a press conference in Karachi, Pakistan on Jan. 19, 2009, are shown. Malik is to marry Mirza in April, Malik told his fans on Twitter, news reports said Tuesday, March 30, 2010.
News about India and Pakistan is usually dominated by their many disputes on contentious issues ranging from Kashmir to terrorism. But this time a different kind of cross-border story is grabbing the headlines - two sports stars from India and Pakistan have decided to get married.
"We have news now and it is confirmed as well that Sania Mirza is going to be getting married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik," announced a television anchor.
Both young and old in India and Pakistan tuned in as domestic TV channels announced the cross-border match between India's top woman tennis player Sania Mirza, and former Pakistani cricket captain, Shoaib Malik.
Some news headlines called it the "India-Pakistan love story". Others called it "India Pakistan Love Match," some termed it "Match fixing."
The high profile, unprecedented alliance between sports stars of the South Asian countries, whose rivalry has led to three wars, is getting huge attention.
Sania Mirza, 23, and 28-year-old Shoaib Malik, 28, are not only well known sports personalities, they are also popular youth icons.
Sania Mirza's father has said the couple will be based in Dubai, and both will continue to play for their countries in their respective sports. Sania Mirza says she hopes to represent India in two upcoming sporting events - the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, after recovering from a wrist injury.
People in India, more used to hearing controversies of another kind with neighbor Pakistan, said they were happy at the announcement, and hoped it would help bridge the divide between the two countries.
"Nice to hear there is some romance between the two countries rather than fighting terrorists all the time," said one person.
"In the present day world it is OK, you want to get together, marry each other, it is fine," said another.
The wedding is scheduled to take place next month. Wedding celebrations are expected to be held in both countries - in the Indian city of Hyderabad, where Sania Mirza lives and in the Pakistani city of Lahore.
Both players have been involved in earlier controversies. Sania Mirza broke off her engagement to a childhood friend in January. Shoaib Malik was accused by another Indian woman of marrying her over the telephone. The cricketer denied it, but admitted to being engaged.
Relations between India and Pakistan remain tense, but a peace process which began in 2004 has yielded dividends in terms of closer people to people contacts between the two countries.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Indias-Top-Tennis-Player-to-Marry-Pakistans-Top-Cricketer-89504912.html
Sunday, April 04, 2010
'Both nations need sustainable ties and business can be the anchor'
The Hindu
'Leadership has failed to translate tremendous warmth between the people into concrete results'
'Business creates vested interests and once there is interest there will be peace'
NEW DELHI: Liberal trade ties, renewed people-to-people contact and civil societ .....more
'Leadership has failed to translate tremendous warmth between the people into concrete results'
'Business creates vested interests and once there is interest there will be peace'
NEW DELHI: Liberal trade ties, renewed people-to-people contact and civil societ .....more
War or peace on the Indus?
The Daily Star
by John Briscoe
Anyone foolish enough to write on war or peace in the Indus needs to first banish a set of immediate suspicions. I am neither Indian nor Pakistani. I am a South African who has worked on water issues in the subcontinent for 35 years and who has lived .....more
by John Briscoe
Anyone foolish enough to write on war or peace in the Indus needs to first banish a set of immediate suspicions. I am neither Indian nor Pakistani. I am a South African who has worked on water issues in the subcontinent for 35 years and who has lived .....more
Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik: the romance that gripped two nations
Guardian
When Pakistan's former cricket captain announced his engagement to India's top tennis player, it was the start of an very tangled and intriguing affair...
Bring on the puns about love games, fine legs and bowling a maiden over. Pakistan's former cricket captain, Sho .....more
When Pakistan's former cricket captain announced his engagement to India's top tennis player, it was the start of an very tangled and intriguing affair...
Bring on the puns about love games, fine legs and bowling a maiden over. Pakistan's former cricket captain, Sho .....more
How to Warm Ties Among Indians and Pakistanis
BusinessWeek
The people of India and Pakistan can help build peace by learning from each other and sharing solutions in their fight against poverty
By Maha Hosain Aziz
The late Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan once stirred controversy by saying: "There is .....more
The people of India and Pakistan can help build peace by learning from each other and sharing solutions in their fight against poverty
By Maha Hosain Aziz
The late Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan once stirred controversy by saying: "There is .....more
Page 2 of 12
Special Editions
more editions
The News on Sunday Special Report: India Pakistan prisoners
We probably didn't need to do this Special Report. Newspaper stories don't matter when it comes to Indians in Pakistani jails and vice versa. In fact, 'vice versa' sums it up. We do to them what they do to us.
Except when the two countries decide to begin talking, yet again! This time a little before the foreign secretary level talks, some Pakistani prisoners were released by India (and vice versa must have happened) and some more were release....read more
Blog
more
For the past 2 years the Jang Group and Geo have been working on a project of great national interest; one that we hope will help usher in an era of peace and prosperity in the country and indeed, in the region. And one that hopefully all Pakistanis can be proud of.
The Jang Group has entered into an agreement with the Times of India Group, the largest media group of India, to campaign for peace betw
Global Media
Comments