Unilaterally divorced by Sania Mirza, Shoaib Malik marries Sana Javed

Karachi: Pakistan's former captain Shoaib Malik announced on Saturday that he has married a second time to the country's popular actor Sana Javed in Karachi after getting divorced from Sania Mirza.

The cricketer who was previously married to Indian tennis star, Sania, with whom he has a son, released a photograph on a social media platform with his new wife, with the words "And We created you in pairs".

Their five-year-old son Izaan lives with Sania.

Sania's father Imran Mirza told PTI that "it was a 'khula'", which refers to the right of a Muslim woman to unilaterally divorce her husband.

There have been strong rumours since 2022 about differences between Shoaib and Sania leading to a split, and they have rarely been seen together in the last couple of years.

Just a few days back Malik also unfollowed the Indian star on Instagram.

Shoaib and Sania had got married in Hyderabad in the Indian player's hometown Hyderabad in April 2010 and they use to live in Dubai.

Sana Javed who has starred in a number of hit drama serial and also acted in Pakistani films had married singer Umair Jaiswal in 2020 at a simple ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But, two months earlier, reports about their divorce emerged.

Sania, one of India's greatest tennis players has announced her retirement last year.

In a career spanning 20 years, where she won 43 WTA doubles titles and one singles trophy, Sania was seen as a trailblazer for women in sport.