Are Shoaib-Sania saving for their future?
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The newly-wed couple, Shoaib and Sania, have reportedly decided not to interact with the media or public in Pakistan till they sell the right to cover their Valima in Sialkot and Lahore to the highest bidding media group.
After arrival in Lahore on Friday at a local hotel, Shoaib threatened to leave the hotel if the management allowed any media person on the floor he was staying on. Shoaib’s friends, who visited the couple on Saturday, claimed they persuaded Shoaib and Sania to talk to the media. However, they added, Shoaib’s mother-in-law, Nasima Mirza, declined the suggestion and wished to sell the media coverage rights of the wedding reception at Sialkot, Valima in Lahore and other activities at the hotel including an interview with the couple. Sources said Shoaib demanded Rs30 to 50 million for the exclusive coverage in Pakistan.
Media persons had to rent rooms in the hotel to avoid any untoward situation with the hotel management.
Throughout the day on Saturday, media persons kept standing in the hotel lobby. Once, even the hotel management asked the media persons to leave the hotel. The hotel management said Shoaib accused them of accepting bribes from the media to give them access to the area where the couple was staying. Security officials snatched the camera of a Geo Television cameraperson when he was trying to shoot the gym where Sania and Shoaib were present.
Police officials claimed that Shoaib was also not cooperating with them and two gunmen were standing outside their rooms. Police said both gunmen had licenced weapons, but they lack training to use them. “Shoaib has not informed us about his Sialkot tour yet,” a police officer said.
It appears the marriage is more like a business contract, as both have barred the media from coverage of their wedding functions. Some believe all this is being done to capture the attention of the advertisement agencies of India and Pakistan, and to exploit the situation for minting money. As Sania had lost her international ranking and Shoaib banned and fined Rs2 million by the Pakistan Cricket Board, they are looking for opportunities to make money one way or the other, some critics commented.
According to sources, Shoaib will leave for Sialkot to participate in his wedding reception at his hometown early on Sunday morning and will come back the same day.
Meanwhile, Shoaib’s brother-in-law, Imran Zafar Malik, told a press conference on Saturday that mediapersons would not be allowed to cover the reception for Shoaib and Sania on Sunday. He said media persons sans cameras would be allowed to enter the reception hall.
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