HYDERABAD, FEB 1 (Agencies): The father of a Hyderabadi girl whose love story involving Pakistani cricket captain Shoaib Malik went sour contested his claim that the couple did not enter into a 'nikah' and pressed the player to give a "formal divorce." M A Siddiqui in a statement said the family will move the court if his daughter does not get divorce which was needed to help her start a "new life." He was reacting to Malik's statement in Karachi on January 21 when the cricketer claimed that no 'nikah' took place between him and Ayesha Siddiqui.
"The'nikah' of my daughter (Ayesha) with Shoaib Malik took plce on June 3, 2002.
We also have the proof," said Siddiqui amid reports that the couple got 'married' through a telephone 'nikah' on that date.
Siddiqui, a resident of posh Banjara Hills in the Andhra Pradesh capital, also challenged Malik's claims that his marriage plans with the Hyderabadi girl ended because both families could not reach an understanding on certain issues.
"Yes I had a long relationship with her and we planned to get married.
But no nikah ever took place and in the end our families could not reach an understanding on various things," Malik had said.
Siddiqui alleged Malik wanted to end the relationship not for the reasons he had stated but "just to gain goodwill and build his image." Siddiqui said his daughter is "devastated and traumatised" by the whole issue and claimed she was hospitalised many times.(MORE) Siddiqui claimed that his family called Malik and his family umpteen times but they "refused to talk to us." "Shoaib Malik never tried to even talk to us even once.
This behaviour has saddened deeply," he said.
On his daughter's future, he cited a media report quoting a Maulvi as saying that rightly his daughter needed a "divorce" in order to start a "new life".
Sri Lanka cannot be prevented from installing mines: ICG MANDAPAM (TN), Feb 1 (Agencies): Amidst protests by Indian fishermen against the planting of mines along the maritime border by Sri Lankan Navy, Coast Guard today said the island nation could not be prevented from installing such devices to ensure the security of their territory.
Talking to reporters at the "Fifth island" near the International Maritime Boundary Line, the Commanding Officer of the Indian Coastguard Station at Mandapam, Commander K Janarthanan said: "how can we prevent them from planting mines, when they have got every right to make their country secure in whatever way they desire".
He said the Sri Lankan officials had informed the Indian side about the mines so that fishermen could be careful.
Their objective was to prevent the movement of LTTE in and around Delft island, which was 12 nautical miles away from the IMBL, he said.
He also ruled out the possibility of the mines drifting into the Indian territory as they had been placed very far from the IMBL.
Besides, the area where the mines had been planted were in the 'High Security Area', where fishermen were not allowed.
"If the fishermen went into the war zone and got killed in the cross-fire or by mines, it is also a cause of worry", he said.
Later speaking in Kochi, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said his government would take a "suitable" decision based on outcome of the inquiry into the deal.
Various opinions were being expressed on the deal without understanding the facts.
The government had ordered for an inquiry into the deal and once the report was submitted, everyone would understand the facts, he told mediapersons on the sidelines of the international Aqua Show 2008, here.
To a query on LDF ally, CPI asking the government to ensure that the land alloted for industrial purpose was not used for other purpose, he said political parites have freedom to air their opinion at their party meetings and CPI had only exericised that.
If the opinion of the ally was different from that of the government, it would be discussed and a decision will be arrived on a 'common spirit'.
