The wedding decision of two South Asian high-profile athletes, 23-year-old Indian tennis star Sania Mirza with 28-year-old Pakistani cricket star Shoaib Malik was surprising as well as delightful for me. News related to both Shoaib and Sania has been surprising since they started their careers as sportspersons. It seems that Shoaib's fortune is associated with Hyderabad, India. I remember, I wrote two features on his previous engagement with a Jeddah-based Hyderabadi girl – first feature when he got engaged with her and the second one when the engagement broke. Shoaib's brother-in-law Imran Mirza told me at that time, “Sialkot and Hyderabad…no, no… Punjabi Paratha and Hyderabadi Biryani can't go together!'' Now what can one do about fate? If Shoaib's stomach is destined to have Hyderabadi Biryani, no one can feed him Parathas. Not so long ago, I covered Sania's engagement news as well, featuring all the trouble created by her broken-hearted admirers on the occasion. After that the news of her broken engagement surprised me because she looked quite satisfied with her previous fiancé and family friend, Sohrab. Their engagement happened in a big ceremony in a 5-star hotel. Sohrab accompanied Sania in all her Wimbledon tours across the globe. It seemed that the duo was doing well. To be honest, as a woman, I felt good to hear that it was her, who decided to break the engagement, not him. The South Asian environment is not so conducive for women to take their own decisions. Sania is always a trend breaker as she chose to play tennis and bravely faced lots of criticism from the Muslim community on her short dresses. Personally, I think that she can avail of the chance of being another trend-breaker by demanding to wear modest dresses in tournaments as this could pave the way for other Muslims girls to enter international tennis courts with their Muslim identity intact. Anyhow, she preserves her legal right to live her life in her own way as an Indian woman. Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate. Perhaps, she was the right mate for her ex-fiancé, but he might not have been suitable for her. According to many, although Sania said that she wished to quit tennis after marriage, she wished to continue her career. Sohrab would have wanted her to quit tennis and they were incompatible in terms of both the mindset and the ideas. Sania used her religious and legal right by choosing her future groom. I liked it! But what I like more about this Indian girl is her decision of daring to marry a Pakistani man. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, we have seen many families maintaining ties with those who remained in India. However in reality, Indo-Pak cross-border marriages are no more than straddling two boats at the same time. India and Pakistan always seemed to be at war whether on the battlefield or on the sporting turf. We have watched radical elements targeting Muslims in India – from Bollywood celebrities to the common man. Being a Muslim, Sania was also questioned on her patriotism in 2008 when a photographer shot her picture in an angle that distorts the proximity of her feet to the Indian flag. At that time, many people in India ignored the possibility that the flag could be placed in a row in front where she was sitting. Rumor was aired that she had dishonored India's flag by placing her feet right in front of it, while watching a match at the Hopman Cup in Perth. Furthermore, a lawyer in Madhya Pradesh filed a case against her. If found guilty, she could be liable to up to three years of sentence and a fine. She enjoyed all the admiration when the whole nation celebrated her wins but her one slip was not pardonable for many people in India. Now as she wants to focus on the 2012 Olympics as an Indian tennis player, she should also make herself mentally stronger than earlier as she has dared to marry a Pakistani cricket star. The disapproval of her marriage with a Pakistani national has already come to light with a few protests in India. Sania admitted that she thought about her chosen groom's nationality. She does not want to see her wedlock in a political light. But for a better understanding, she should be prepared to face the reality that this is not just a wedlock, but a test of nerves for both of them. But the positive aspect of this marriage is quite exemplary. Celebrities are followed and their deeds are taken note of. Following in their footsteps, many hearts will come closer, and this will encourage ‘people-to-people contact' and understanding between India and Pakistan. Peace cannot be achieved through force and violence; it can only be attained through understanding and bonding. History proved that marriages are always a source of peace, understanding and bounding. The Arab-Islamic history is filled with a number of examples of marriages for tribal unity, peace and strengthening of alliances. In 1660, King Louis XIV of France married Princess Marie-Therese of Spain for peace. The Emperors of the Indian subcontinent, before the British rule, used to marry the other states' princesses to bring about peace and harmony. If we have a close look at today's scenario, it was the bonding of Al-Qaeda with local people in Afghanistan and the border areas of Pakistan, which tormented the NATO forces. Geographically isolated Al-Qaeda's foreign warriors have strengthened their bonding by marrying local women and have become a part of society. This contact and bonding made the ‘War on Terror' a complicated and prolonged business at the expense of the downfall of the United States economy. Mother Teresa said that all works of love are works of peace. The cross-border match of Sania and Shoaib's wedding is a step forward to peace. These pleasant affairs of marriages should keep happening to secure all the battlefields on the borders of both the countries. Banned by Pakistan Cricket Board, Shoaib Malik, and nursing an injured wrist, Sania Mirza, perhaps may not be collecting adulations these days in sports, but they are dear to me today for daringly pelting the stones of love and peace to fill up the trench of rivalry of the two nuclear
